Akilah Lewis (left) and Kellen Kimes (right) earned CUSA superlative awards on Friday.
Kimes, Lewis Earn CUSA Superlative Honors
6/20/2025 2:01:00 PM | Track and Field
LYNCHBURG, Va. – A pair of Liberty athletes have earned CUSA track & field superlative honors, closing out successful seasons. Kellen Kimes was voted CUSA Men's Field Athlete of the Year, while Akilah Lewis was named CUSA Women's Newcomer of the Year.
A native of Ludington, Mich., Kimes is the first Flame to earn this honor, which covers both the indoor and outdoor track & field seasons. Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago native Lewis is Liberty's second straight CUSA Women's Newcomer of the Year, following Kate Goodyear's recognition in 2024.
Kimes closed the indoor campaign with three consecutive men's weight throw victories. The winning streak was bookended by a program-record 70-5.75 heave at the Liberty Open and his first CUSA individual title.
Kimes' 70-5.75 effort ranked No. 34 nationally, including first among freshmen. He competed as a redshirt freshman during the indoor campaign after being redshirted during his first indoor season on campus in 2023-24.
The first Liberty sophomore to compete in the men's hammer at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Kimes finished 24th at that competition.
The CUSA men's hammer runner-up, Kimes reached a personal-best 219-4 at the Pacific Coast Invitational. That mark sits No. 3 in program history and No. 30 in the nation for the 2025 outdoor season.
Lewis, who transferred from Ole Miss to Liberty for her final season of eligibility, anchored the Lady Flames to a pair of program records in the women's 4 x 100 relay. Liberty clocked 44.61 at the Florida Relays before lowering the mark to 44.49 at the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet.
Individually, Lewis earned All-CUSA honors with a third-place finish in the women's 100 final. She also qualified for the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet in the 100, where she posted a season-best 11.43 (No. 3 in program history).
A native of Ludington, Mich., Kimes is the first Flame to earn this honor, which covers both the indoor and outdoor track & field seasons. Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago native Lewis is Liberty's second straight CUSA Women's Newcomer of the Year, following Kate Goodyear's recognition in 2024.
Kimes closed the indoor campaign with three consecutive men's weight throw victories. The winning streak was bookended by a program-record 70-5.75 heave at the Liberty Open and his first CUSA individual title.
Kimes' 70-5.75 effort ranked No. 34 nationally, including first among freshmen. He competed as a redshirt freshman during the indoor campaign after being redshirted during his first indoor season on campus in 2023-24.
The first Liberty sophomore to compete in the men's hammer at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Kimes finished 24th at that competition.
The CUSA men's hammer runner-up, Kimes reached a personal-best 219-4 at the Pacific Coast Invitational. That mark sits No. 3 in program history and No. 30 in the nation for the 2025 outdoor season.
Lewis, who transferred from Ole Miss to Liberty for her final season of eligibility, anchored the Lady Flames to a pair of program records in the women's 4 x 100 relay. Liberty clocked 44.61 at the Florida Relays before lowering the mark to 44.49 at the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet.
Individually, Lewis earned All-CUSA honors with a third-place finish in the women's 100 final. She also qualified for the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet in the 100, where she posted a season-best 11.43 (No. 3 in program history).
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