A trio of Rice track and field standouts have added to their resumes in big ways following the conclusion of the collegiate season.
Michelle Fokam and Grace Forbes were named the Conference USA Female Field Athlete of the Year and Track Athlete of the Year, respectively, on June 21, while hammer thrower Tara Simpson-Sullivan won the British national championship June 26.
Fokam, a senior this past season who holds the school record in the triple jump, is one of only two to win the C-USA Female Field Athlete of the Year award three times. The All-American triple jumper — who won a combined 13 triple jump and long jump events during the season — recorded a sixth-place finish in her top event at the U.S. Olympic Trials June 20. She also competed in the long jump but did not qualify for the final.
Forbes, who earned All-American honors in cross-country and indoor and outdoor track and field in 2021 while winning a combined six C-USA titles and breaking five school records as a freshman, capped her season by placing 31st in the 10,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials on June 26. She was the youngest competitor in the race.
Forbes and Fokam are the first teammates to sweep the C-USA awards since 2010.
Simpson-Sullivan, a first-team All-American and the Conference USA champion as a freshman in 2021 who holds the Rice record in the hammer throw, won the British title by throwing 67.38 meters on her final attempt in Manchester, England.
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