BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Lee men's track and field All-American Josiah Brooks will be honored on Thursday at the Gulf South Conference's Annual Awards Banquet after landing a spot on the prestigious GSC Top Ten list.
Brooks gives Lee three male winners in the past four years, following his brother Justin's recognition last season.
Brooks led the Flames to a third place finish at the GSC Championship, finishing first in the 100 meter, third in the 200 meter, and second in the triple jump. With his impressive performance, he was selected the Most Outstanding Overall Performer of the championship and received First and Second Team All-GSC honors. The junior also won both the GSC Field Performer of the Week award and USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week award on March 21.
At the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships last week, Brooks was named First Team All-American in the 200m and Second Team All-American in the triple jump.
Brooks, a native of Athens, Ga., was also the team captain and the team SAAC representative this year. Showcasing his success in the classroom the junior earned the Henry & Iris Atkins Scholarship and was named the Lee University Male Student-Athlete of the Year. His leadership skills have led him to be voted the SAAC President for the upcoming year as well as Dorm Chaplain. He volunteers in several community service programs off-campus, including the Community Encore Program and Habitat for Humanity.
In his last three years at Lee, Brooks has completed 60 hours of community service in addition to his athletics. He was named to the GSC Honor Roll in 2016 and 2017, continuing on to be named USTFCCCA Academic All-America and Academic All-Region in 2017.
"Josiah is one of those special young men who happens to be an elite athlete. He performs well against the best athletes in the country and he's the guy willing to help anyone in need. He will do well after life at Lee," said Lee Athletic Director Larry Carpenter.
This year marks the 22nd annual GSC "Top Ten" Award winners. These awards recognize the top five female and top five male student-athletes for their athletic, academic, and extracurricular achievement during the 2017-18 academic year. Of this group, the top male and top female will receive the Commissioner's Trophy, the conference's most elite award.
The presentations will be made at the Awards Banquet, Thursday, May 31, at the Hilton Pensacola Beach Pensacola Beach, Fla. starting at 5:30 p.m. The entire ceremony will be streamed on Facebook Live. Following the Top Ten presentations, the conference will reveal the winners of the Commissioner's Trophies and recognize the All-Sports Trophy Champions (Overall: West Florida, Men: West
Florida, Women: Lee). The Lady Flames dethroned perennial power West Florida to capture the women's title. The Argonauts had won the women's championship for 12 straight seasons.
The "Top Ten" are selected with the assistance of an advisory committee representing the Athletic Directors, Senior Woman Administrators, Sports Information Directors, Faculty Athletics Representatives, and Presidents from randomly selected GSC schools, which makes a recommendation to the Commissioner, who has the final decision.
