SPARTANBURG, S.C. – After sweeping the team titles at the SoCon Indoor Track and Field Championships over the weekend, Samford claimed six of the eight awards voting on by the league coaches, the SoCon announced Wednesday.
 
Samford earned the male Most Outstanding Track Performer, both male and female Most Outstanding Field Performer, male Freshman of the Year and both Coach of the Year awards. Furman and Wofford claimed the other two honors.
 
Samford’s Emmanuel Tait and Matt Cahoon, who Heath Whittle Award as the men's Most Outstanding Athletes as the highest-scoring athletes at the meet, were named the Most Outstanding Track Performer and Most Outstanding Field Performer, respectively.
 
Tait earned his second Most Outstanding Track Performer nod in three years, as the senior from Alabaster, Alabama, earned a trio of podium finishes. Tait won the 60-meter dash in 6.81 seconds and finished second in the 60-meter hurdles (8.05) and 200-meter dash (21.64) to total 26 points.
 
Cahoon matched his point total, with the junior from Cullman, Alabama, winning the shot put (16.06 meters) and weight throw (17.10 meters) and finishing third in the high jump with a leap of 2.05 meters.
 
Samford senior Maggie Johnston claimed the women’s Most Outstanding Field Performer award after totaling 18 points on the weekend. The Macon, Georgia, native won the weight throw with a heave of 18.27 meters and finished second in the shot put with a throw of 13.44 meters.
 
Bulldog Even Brooks was the men’s Freshman of the Year after scoring 14 points at the meet. The rookie from Madison, Alabama, finished second in the 60-meter dash (6.87 seconds) and took third in the 200-meter dash (21.69).
 
Samford’s Rod Tiffin swept the coaching honors after leading both squads to team titles. The men’s title was the first in SoCon indoor history, while the women’s title was their fifth straight. The Bulldogs men turned in a 30-point margin over runner-up Western Carolina, while the women were 43.5 points clear of second-place ETSU.
 
Furman’s Savannah Carnahan, who was the women’s Most Outstanding Athlete after scoring 26 points, added Most Outstanding Track Performer honors to her list of accomplishments. The senior from Cumming, Georgia, became the first women’s runner in SoCon indoor history to win the 5,000-meter run in four straight years (16:38.38) and added second-place finishes in the 3,000-meter run (9:31.31) and the mile (4:52.54).
 
Wofford’s Georgia McDevitt earned female Freshman of the Year honors after scoring 20.5 points for the Terriers. The rookie from Maryville, Tennessee, excelled on the track and in the field, taking second in the 200-meter dash (24.50 seconds), third in the long jump (5.85 meters), fourth in the 60-meter dash (7.65 seconds), and running the anchor leg on Wofford’s third-place 4x400-meter relay team.
 
Male Most Outstanding Track Performer
Emmanuel Tait, Samford
 
Female Most Outstanding Track Performer
Savannah Carnahan, Furman
 
Male Most Outstanding Field Performer
Matt Cahoon, Samford
 
Female Most Outstanding Field Performer
Maggie Johnston, Samford
 
Male Freshman of the Year
Evan Brooks, Samford
 
Female Freshman of the Year
Georgia McDevitt, Wofford
 
Men’s Coach of the Year
Rod Tiffin, Samford
 
Women’s Coach of the Year
Rod Tiffin, Samford