SUWANEE, Ga. – Trinity University Head Track & Field Coach
Marcus Whitehead leads the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Women's Coaching Staff of the Year, while All-Americans
Joy Areola (Tomball, Texas / Rosehill Christian) and
Annabelle Lanik (Sugar Land, Texas / St. John's) were named the SCAC Field Athlete of the Year and the SCAC Newcomer of the Year.
Coach Whitehead, along with assistant coaches
Thomas Dimitri,
Todd Wildman,
Corey Wildman, and
Tanner Trigg, as well as distance coaches
Emily Daum and
Lauren Loeffler, led the Tiger women's track & field team to its 17th overall SCAC Championship in 2025. In addition to nine conference titles in the last 10 years, Coach Whitehead has led the award-winning coaching staff each of those years as well. The 17 SCAC trophies for Trinity are the most by any team in SCAC history.
Areola picked up her second straight SCAC Field Athlete of the Year award, becoming the first athlete in SCAC history to repeat, and just the third overall to snag the honor more than once. She secured her second consecutive All-America award by finishing 14th in the triple jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in May, preceded by a record-breaking performance at the SCAC Championships in April. Areola became the first woman in SCAC history to win the triple jump four times, finishing off her career sweep this season. She also holds the top two marks in SCAC history in the event.
Lanik is the fourth Trinity woman to win the SCAC Newcomer of the Year award, following an unbelievable rookie season. She broke both the Trinity and SCAC Championship records during the year, leaping 5.97 meters to win the SCAC long jump title. That was one of three All-SCAC performances for the first-year, who also finished second in the 200-meter dash and second as a part of the 4x100-meter relay team. Following conference, Lanik made an even bigger splash at the NCAA Championships, bringing home a bronze medal with a third-place finish in the long jump, jumping to another school-record-breaking mark of 5.99 meters, and earning First Team All-American honors.
