With another year of Alabama Athletics ending or close to playoff play, The Crimson Tide has seen elite plays from several athletes. These athletes have produced strong seasons and have been important factors in their team’s success thus far.
Doris Lemngole, track and field
Returning to the No. 1 spot is junior distance runner Doris Lemngole, who has continued to dominate on the track.
On top of bringing in medals for the Crimson Tide all year, Lemngole continues to break NCAA records, highlighted by her record-breaking performance at the Millrose Games. Her 8:31.39 time beat the previous record by four seconds, and beat her own personal best by 10 seconds.
She has been a crucial part of the success of the track team and is once again on the watchlist for the Bowerman award, given to the best track runner of the year.
Jocelyn Briski, pitcher, softball
Through 47 games, the junior pitcher has been nothing short of superb for Alabama. Briski currently hoists a 18-1 record on the mound, supplemented by a 1.5 ERA with 107 innings pitched so far.
Her pitching has helped lead Alabama to a strong season, with the Crimson Tide being ranked No. 2 by USA Softball. Briski has lowered her ERA and, even with a strong pitching staff, has stood out as an ace for the team to make a difference.
“I made it a priority this offseason to work on my mental game, work on doing it for my team. I feel like it’s making all the difference for me,” Briski said.
Labaron Philon, guard, basketball
Filling in the next spot, similar to last year, is another guard in Labaron Philon. Comparable to the role Sears played last year, Philon played a heavy offensive load for Alabama, which looked for him to create shots for himself and others on the court.
All season long, Philon kept the Crimson Tide competitive, averaging 22.0 points and shooting 40% from three-point range. He was named first team All-SEC, All-America third team and is on the watchlist for the NABC player of the year. In addition to these honors, Philon is currently projected as a first-round draft pick in this year’s NBA draft.
Brady Neal, utilityman, baseball
In a season where Alabama baseball has struggled to find consistent hitting, Brady Neal has shaped the batting in a positive trajectory for the team. Neal has increased every major hitting stat, such as batting average and on-base percentage, and he has nearly doubled both his slugging percentage and the number of hits he has through only two more games from last season.
Azarya Ra-Akbar, all-around, gymnastics
The all-around freshman phenom from Baltimore, Maryland made history for Alabama gymnastics and paved the way in each competition. All season long, Ra-Akbar consistently set high scores for the Crimson Tide, highlighted by her perfect 10.0 on uneven bars, and the performance at Florida where she won the event title with a 9.925 on the vault.
She was named the SEC Freshman of the Year, something that hadn’t been done for Alabama since 1999. On top of this incredible accomplishment, Ra-Akbar made the All-SEC and All-Freshman teams this season.
Vic Moten, pitcher, softball
As a freshman entering this season, Moten had high expectations coming in as Alabama’s 2024 7A player of the year. So far, Moten has safely performed to this level, with a 1.69 ERA and 16-3 record. She has won both SEC pitcher and freshman of the week, and is on the freshman watchlist for D1 Softball.
Moten has already thrown five complete-game shutouts and has demonstrated clear poise and competitiveness on the mound.
Jessica Timmons, guard, basketball
After a devastating injury in the 2024 season, Timmons came back this season and led the team in points while only trailing 0.1 assists in team-led assists. Timmons was named to the All-SEC second team and played the second-most minutes for the team this season.
Her three-point shooting and leadership paved the way for Alabama to play in March Madness this year. Drafted 40th overall to the Indiana Fever, Timmons will look to continue to bring the same impact over to the WNBA.
Ty Simpson, quarterback, football
Sitting behind several quarterbacks for three years, Simpson took the reins on the field for the Crimson Tide and displayed his talents for all to watch. He started the season on fire, entering himself in the Heisman conversation with special performances such as his three touchdowns and 276-yard performance against Georgia
Though the season didn’t end to his expectations, Simpson paved the way for the team as the team captain and displayed his loyalty to the Crimson Tide throughout his career.
Justin Lebron, shortstop, baseball
After an impactful two seasons thus far, Justin Lebron has put on display why he is so important to Alabama Baseball this go around. The shortstop’s ability to steal bases, consistently find ways to land on-base, and make defensive highlights has put him on the map for the MLB Draft.
He ranks third in stolen bases this year and has delivered consistency for Alabama this year, such highlighted by his current 12-game hitting streak.
Brooke Wells, infielder, softball
The third softball player on this list, Brooke Wells, has contributed significantly on offense for the Crimson Tide. She is now the fourth player in program history to hit 20 home runs, with five games remaining on the schedule.
The sophomore from Texas is projected to continue to edge her name on the record books for Alabama, needing 7 more RBI’s to be top 10 in Alabama history and .20 away in on-base percentage from being fifth all time in Alabama program history.
