Copyright © 2023, Florida State University. All Rights Reserved. / Privacy Policy
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State sprinters Kasaun James and Ka’Tia Seymour completed a sweep of Atlantic Coast Conference top honors for the indoor track & field season, while freshman Bryand Rincher added his name to an elite list of first-year Noles.
James and Seymour swept ACC Track Performer of the Year honors, and Rincher claimed Freshman of the Year honors. The trio was joined by Bob Braman, who was selected Men’s Coach of the Year for the eighth time indoors and the 23rd time in his career.
The ACC announced its honorees Tuesday.
“I’m overwhelmed at these honors,” Braman said, after the Noles claimed four of the eight ACC Indoor Track & Field honors. “Kasaun and Ka’Tia were clearly the best in the ACC all year, but it’s nice when the other coaches take notice and honor them.
“Bryan was special all season long. He’s as good of a sprints freshman that we’ve had since Walter Dix.”
James and Seymour, who won ACC Championship Track MVP honors for their dominating performances last month in Blacksburg, completed the sweep following first-team All-American performances at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
James became the first Seminole since Maurice Mitchell in 2012 to earn first-team All-American honors in his two featured sprint events. Rebounding from an eighth-place finish in the 60-meter dash, he was the NCAA runner-up in the 200-meter dash, helping the Noles to a share of sixth place at the NCAA Championships.
His performance came two weeks after leading the Noles back from a huge deficit in the team competition on the final day of the ACC Championships. The transfer from Arkansas Baptist won the 60- and 200-meter titles, then anchored the winning 4×400 relay to clinch a piece of the team title; the 12th in program history. He was the first Seminole to win ACC titles in those three events since Walter Dix in 2005.
James ranked among the top five nationally in both events and closed his first indoor season at No. 4 on FSU’s all-time list in both the 60 (6.55) and 200 (20.49).
Seymour delivered a career-best performance in the 60-meter dash at the NCAA Championships to grab the bronze medal. The Palatka, Fla. native ran 7.19 in the final – tied for the second-fastest mark in FSU history – and narrowly missed out on the gold. It was the best finish by an FSU women’s sprinter since Tonya Carter’s NCAA 60-meter title in 200.
The sophomore became the first FSU woman to win back-to-back ACC Championship Track MVP titles when she also swept the 60- and 200-meter titles, but the Noles were denied a share of the team title, finishing six points out in a runner-up finish.
Seymour already holds the FSU record in the 200, is tied for second in the 60 and joined her 4×400 teammates to post the No. 10 time in program history during the 2019 season.
Rincher authored one of the most promising freshman campaigns in program history, capped by his fifth-place finish as the lone first-year athlete in the NCAA Indoor 60-meter dash finals for first-team All-American honors. That performance was preceded by a runner-up finish in the 200 and a fourth-place showing in the 60 on the final day of the ACC Championship meet.
The Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native of Haitian descent, burst on the scene with the nation’s ninth-fastest time in the 60-meter dash (6.59) – tops among freshmen – and backed it up in the 200, when he debuted at 20.90. He is tied for eighth on FSU’s all-time list in the 60 and tied for 10th in the 200.
A high school football standout at Piper, Rincher had limited track experience due to injuries as a junior and senior. By the end of his first indoor campaign he was Haiti’s national record-holder in both the 60 and 200; feats he accomplished on his first races in those events.
Braman added to his impressive collection of hardware at the helm of the Noles, winning his second consecutive Men’s Indoor Coach of the Year honor after the team repeated as champions. FSU’s sixth-place NCAA finish with 24 points was its best performance since placing fourth in 2014.
“I’m personally flattered to be honored by my fellow coaches,” Braman said. “They know, like I do, how tough it is to win an ACC title.”
In addition to the lauded Noles the ACC honored Virginia’s Jordan Scott (Men’s Field Performer of the Year), Miami’s Michelle Athlerley (Women’s Field Performer of the Year), NC State’s Timara Chapman (Women’s Freshman of the Year) and Miami’s Amy Deem (Women’s Coach of the Year).
