Award History
NCAA DI XC National Awards2020 USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Cross Country National Awards
NEW ORLEANS – National Athletes & Coaches of the Year for the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country season were announced on Friday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
AWARD HISTORY: National Athletes of the Year | National Coaches of the Year
These awards were voted on by member coaches following the conclusion of the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships earlier this week in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Only athletes and coaches from USTFCCCA member institutions are eligible for awards.
National Men's Athlete of the Year
Mantz, a junior from Smithfield, Utah, rallied to keep it close and then blew the doors off the competition at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Trailing by as many as five seconds at the 4K split, Mantz drew even at the 7K split and then gapped the field to eventually win by 22.1 seconds in 29:26.1. Earlier in the season, Mantz also crossed the finish line first at the West Coast Conference Cross Country Championships and the Silver State Collegiate Challenge. He finished runner-up at the Oklahoma State Invitational.
Lance Harter Award
National Women's Athlete of the Year
Chelangat, a junior from Kericho, Kenya, showed her strength over the final 1K at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Entrenched in a pack with five other athletes, Chelangat dropped the hammer and covered the challenging kilometer in 3:17.8, as she crossed the finish line first in 20:01.1. Earlier in the season, Chelangat won individual titles at both the SEC Cross Country Championships and the Florida State Invitational, as well as finishing third at the Vanderbilt Commodore Classic.
Bill Dellinger Award
National Men's Coach of the Year
Smith, in his fourth year as head coach at Northern Arizona, led the Lumberjacks to a team title at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma. NAU had four runners finish in the top-10 – just the sixth time that happened in meet history – and put up 60 points for the lowest score by a winning team since 2005. Earlier in the season, the Lumberjacks won team titles at both the Battle Born Collegiate Challenge (20 points) and Oklahoma State Invitational (36 points). NAU was also second at the Big Sky Conference Cross Country Championships with 38 points.
Peter Tegen Award
National Women's Coach of the Year
Taylor, in her fifth year as head coach at BYU, led the Cougars to a team title at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma. BYU put four runners in the top-20, as it scored 96 points to win its fifth national crown in program history. Earlier in the season, the Cougars won team titles at the West Coast Conference Cross Country Championships (28 points), the Silver State Collegiate Challenge (46 points) and the Oklahoma State Invitational (22 points).