Talladega College, in a triumphant return to the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) in 2023, has clinched the prestigious Thomas Howell Cup, the league’s all-sports award. This significant achievement underscores a year of remarkable athletic accomplishments across multiple sports disciplines for the Tornadoes.
“It’s an amazing feeling (to receive this recognition), knowing Talladega College Athletics worked extremely hard this year. Talladega College was once a member of the GCAC conference, and coming back into the conference for the 2023-2024 season and winning a prestigious award as the Howell Cup (is amazing),” said Loretta Martin, Vice President and Athletic Director at Talladega College.
The Thomas Howell Cup, named in honor of the GCAC’s inaugural commissioner, Dr. Thomas Howell, is awarded annually to the member institution that accumulates the most points in competition across all sports sponsored by the conference and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Points are allocated based on regular-season standings for volleyball, basketball, and baseball and conference championships for cross country and outdoor track and field.
Talladega College amassed an impressive 52 points to secure this year’s Howell Cup, marking a year of extraordinary success and resilience. The Women’s Volleyball Team set the tone early, capturing the 2023 GCAC Volleyball Regular Season title with a stellar 31-9 record. This achievement set a new program best and positioned Talladega as one of only three schools in the NAIA to surpass 30 wins this season.
The Tornadoes continued their dominance across other sports, with the Men’s Cross-Country team finishing fourth and the Women’s Cross-Country team securing the runners-up position. The Men’s Basketball team maintained a strong performance throughout the season, finishing as GCAC runners-up. In baseball, the Tornadoes also had a stellar season, capturing the GCAC Championship, further contributing to their overall point tally. Additionally, the Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field teams finished as runners-up, rounding out a year of consistent excellence.
“As the Vice President of Athletics, I would like to thank the HBCUAC, Thomas Howell, and Commissioner Barnes for all of their hard work that this conference displayed,” expressed Martin.
In conjunction with the Howell Cup announcement, the GCAC also revealed the recipients of the GCAC Distinguished Member Awards. These awards, determined by peer-to-peer rankings among respective GCAC council members, recognize outstanding administrators within the conference. All conference honorees are nominated for the NAIA award, with the national recipient to be announced publicly during NAIA National Awards Day in September. The national award recipient will receive a certificate and be recognized at an annual function in conjunction with the NAIA National Convention.
