2023 NCAA Division I Cross Country Regional Awards

NEW ORLEANS – Regional Athletes and Coaches of the Year for the 2023 NCAA Division I Cross Country season were announced on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) following the conclusion of the season.

Regional Award History: Athletes of the Year | Coaches of the Year

Many of these athletes and coaches ended their season this past weekend at the 2023 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Award winners were determined by a vote of USTFCCCA member coaches following the conclusion of the NCAA Championships. Only individuals from USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for awards.

Men’s Athlete of the Year

The Dan McClimon Award
GREAT LAKES REGION — Tom Brady — Michigan

Brady, who hails from Park Ridge, Illinois, was the highest-finishing male athlete from the Great Lakes Region at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships in 27th place. Earlier this season, Brady finished third at both the Great Lakes Region Championships and the Big Ten Championships.

The Charles Werner Award
MID-ATLANTIC REGION — Liam Murphy — Villanova

Murphy, who hails from Millstone, New Jersey, finished 14th at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. He entered the NCAA Championships in full stride, having won individual titles at both the BIG EAST Championships and the Mid-Atlantic Region Championships in consecutive meets.

The Bill Bergan Award
MIDWEST REGION — Denis Kipngetich — Oklahoma State

Kipngetich, who hails from Kapsabet, Kenya, finished fourth at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Just a few weeks earlier, Kipngetich won the individual title at the Midwest Region Championships. He also was 14th at the Big 12 Championships.

MOUNTAIN REGION — Habtom Samuel — New Mexico

Samuel, Keren, Eritrea, took runner-up honors at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Earlier in the season, Samuel won individual titles at both the Mountain West Championships and the Mountain Region Championships, among others.

The Fred Tootell Award
NORTHEAST REGION — Graham Blanks — Harvard

Blanks, who hails from Athens, Georgia, capped an undefeated season by winning the individual title at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. He was the first male athlete from the Ivy League to do so. Earlier in the season, Blanks took top individual honors at the Northeast Region Championships, the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships as well as the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, among others.

SOUTH REGION — Victor Kiprop — Alabama

Kiprop, who hails from Iten, Kenya, was the highest-finishing athlete from the South Region at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. He entered the NCAA Championships on a high note, having won the individual title at the SEC Championships and finishing runner-up at the South Region Championships one week prior.

SOUTH CENTRAL REGION — Patrick Kiprop — Arkansas

Kiprop, who hails from Eldoret, Kenya, finished seventh at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Just a few weeks prior, Kiprop won the individual title at the South Central Region Championships. He also took runner-up honors at the SEC Championships.

SOUTHEAST REGION — Parker Wolfe — North Carolina

Wolfe, who hails from Denver, Colorado, finished ninth at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. He entered the NCAA Championships having won the individual title at the ACC Championships and finishing runner-up at the Southeast Region Championships.

The John Chaplin Award
WEST REGION — Ky Robinson — Stanford

Robinson, who hails from Brisbane, Australia, finished third at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. He found his stride in the postseason, winning individual titles at both the final Pac-12 Championships and the West Region Championships.

Men’s Coach of the Year

The Billy Hayes Award
GREAT LAKES REGION — Mick Byrne – Wisconsin

Byrne, in his 16th year as head coach at Wisconsin, led the Badgers to a 10^th-place finish at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Earlier this season, Wisconsin was runner-up at the Great Lakes Region Championships with 70 points and won the Big Ten Championships with 19 points and Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational with 49 points.

The Harry Groves Award
MID-ATLANTIC REGION — Jason Vigilante – Princeton

Vigilante, in his 12th year as head coach at Princeton, led the Tigers to an 11^th-place finish at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Earlier this season, Princeton won the Mid-Atlantic Region Championships with 41 points and Ivy League Heptagonal Championships with 40 points.

The Roy Griak Award
MIDWEST REGION — Dave Smith — Oklahoma State

Smith, in his 18th year as head coach at Oklahoma State, led the Cowboys to the team title at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships with 49 points. Earlier this season, Oklahoma State won the Midwest Region Championships with 19 points, Big 12 Conference Championships with 25 points and Cowboy Jamboree with 26 points.

The Chick Hislop Award
MOUNTAIN REGION — Michael Smith — Northern Arizona

Smith, in his seventh year as head coach at Northern Arizona, led the Lumberjacks to a runner-up finish at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Earlier this season, Northern Arizona won the Mountain Region Championships with 36 points, Big Sky Conference Championships with 20 points, Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational with 76 points, Dave Murray Invitational with 40 points, Virginia Invitational with 71 points and George Kyte Classic with 15 points.

The Robert Grieve Award
NORTHEAST REGION – Alex Gibby – Harvard

Gibby, in his seventh year as head coach at Harvard, coached Graham Blanks to the individual title at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. With Blanks at the front, the Crimson finished 15th as a team in Charlottesville, Virginia. Earlier this season, Harvard was runner-up at the Northeast Region Championships with 57 points and the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships with 43 points, and won the Battle in Beantown with 61 points.

The Dave Walker Award
SOUTH REGION — Sean Carlson – Tennessee

Carlson, in his second year as head coach at Tennessee, led the Volunteers to a 26th-place finish at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Earlier this season, Tennessee won the team title at the South Region Championships with 68 points, Furman Invitational with 27 points and Tennessee Invitational with 24 points and finished third at the SEC Championships.

The Johnny Morriss Award
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION — Chris Bucknam — Arkansas

Bucknam, in his 16th year as head coach at Arkansas, led the Razorbacks to a fourth-place finish at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Earlier this season, Arkansas was runner-up at the South Central Region Championships with 52 points and won the team title at the SEC Championships with 38 points, XC23 Invitational with 35 points, Chile Pepper Festival with 18 points and Cowboy Preview with 26 points.

SOUTHEAST REGION — Chris Miltenberg — North Carolina

Miltenberg, in his fifth year as head coach at North Carolina, led the Tar Heels to a sixth-place finish at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Earlier this season, North Carolina won the team title at the Southeast Region Championships with 37 points, ACC Championships with 49 points and Charlotte Opener with 20 points.

The Dean Miller Award
WEST REGION — Ricardo Santos – Stanford

Santos, in his third year as head coach at Stanford, led the Cardinal to an eighth-place finish at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Earlier this season, Stanford won the team title at the West Region Championships with 73 points and Pac-12 Conference Championships with 41 points.

Women’s Athlete of the Year

GREAT LAKES REGION — Olivia Markezich — Notre Dame

Markezich, who hails from Woodinville, Washington, finished third at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Just a few weeks earlier, Markezich won the individual title at the Great Lakes Region Championships. That came not long after Markezich placed fourth at the ACC Championships.

MID-ATLANTIC REGION — Chloe Scrimgeour — Georgetown

Scrimgeour, who hails from West Hartford, Connecticut, finished eighth at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Just a few weeks earlier, Scrimgeour won the individual title at the BIG EAST Championships. She also finished seventh at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational in October.

MIDWEST REGION — Billah Jepkirui — Oklahoma State

Jepkirui, who hails from Kapsabet, Kenya, finished seventh at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Just a few weeks earlier, Jepkirui won the individual title at the Midwest Region Championships. That came not long after Jepkirui took runner-up honors at the Big 12 Championships.

MOUNTAIN REGION — Gracelyn Larkin — Northern Arizona

Larkin, who hails from Rosseau, Ontario, finished 13th at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Just a few weeks earlier, Larkin won the individual title at the Mountain Region Championships, which came not long after she was fourth at the Big Sky Championships.

NORTHEAST REGION — Maia Ramsden — Harvard

Ramsden, who hails from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, finished tenth at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. She entered the NCAA Championships on a two-meet win streak, having won individual titles at both the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships and the Northeast Region Championships.

SOUTH REGION — Parker Valby — Florida

Valby, who hails from Tampa, Florida, capped a dominant season with an individual title at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. She opened the campaign with a course record-setting victory at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, followed that up with a victory at the SEC Championships and then couldn’t be caught at the South Region Championships.

SOUTH CENTRAL REGION — Sydney Thorvaldson — Arkansas

Thorvaldson, who hails from Rawlins, Wyoming, finished 11th at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Just a few weeks prior, Thorvaldson won the individual title at the South Central Region Championships. Thorvaldson was also sixth at the SEC Championships.

SOUTHEAST REGION — Katelyn Tuohy — NC State

Tuohy, who hails from Stony Point, New York, finished fifth at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. She entered the NCAA Championships on a two-meet win streak, having topped the podium at both the ACC Championships and the Southeast Region Championships.

WEST REGION — Kaylee Mitchell — Oregon State

Mitchell, who hails from Salem, Oregon, finished 12th at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Just a few weeks earlier, Mitchell won the individual title at the West Region Championships, not long after a third-place effort at the Pac-12 Championships.

Women’s Coach of the Year

GREAT LAKES REGION — Matt Sparks — Notre Dame

Sparks, in his sixth year as head coach at Notre Dame, led the Fighting Irish to a fourth-place finish at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Earlier this season, Notre Dame won the team title at the Great Lakes Region Championships with 39 points, National Catholic Invitational with 18 points and Winrow-Valparaiso Open with 36 points and was runner-up at the ACC Championships.

MID-ATLANTIC REGION — Mitchell Baker – Georgetown

Baker, in his fourth year as head coach at Georgetown, led the Hoyas to an 18th-place finish at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Earlier this season, Georgetown won the team title at the Mid-Atlantic Region Championships with 48 points and Big East Conference Championships with 28 points.

MIDWEST REGION — Dave Smith — Oklahoma State

Smith, in his 15th year as head coach at Oklahoma State, led the Cowgirls to a third-place finish at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Earlier this season, Oklahoma State won the team title at the Midwest Region Championships with 30 points, Big 12 Conference Championships with 39 points and Cowboy Jamboree with 16 points.

The Patrick Shane Award
MOUNTAIN REGION — Michael Smith — Northern Arizona

Smith, in his seventh year as head coach at Northern Arizona, led the Lumberjacks to a runner-up finish at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Earlier this season, Northern Arizona won team titles at the Mountain Region Championships with 39 points, Big Sky Conference Championships with 15 points, Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational with 52 points, Dave Murray Invitational with 20 points, Virginia Invitational with 48 points and George Kyte Classic with 15 points.

The Ray Treacy Award
NORTHEAST REGION — Pete Watson — Boston College

Watson, in his second year as head coach at Boston College, led the Eagles to a runner-up finish at the Northeast Region Championships, securing the program’s first berth to the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships since 2019. Boston College, which began the season ranked ninth in the coaches’ Northeast Region rankings, also finished sixth at the ACC Championships.

SOUTH REGION — Will Palmer – Florida

Palmer, in his first year as head coach at Florida, coached Parker Valby to the individual title at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. With Valby at the front, the Gators were able to finish fifth as a team in Charlottesville, Virginia. Earlier this season, Florida was runner-up at the South Region Championships and won the team title at the SEC Championships with 49 points and Mountain Dew Invitational with 38 points.

SOUTH CENTRAL REGION — Wendel McRaven — Texas A&M

McRaven, in his 12th year as head coach at Texas A&M, led the Aggies back to the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships for the first time since 2000. Earlier this season, Texas A&M was runner-up at the South Central Region Championships and won team titles at the Texas A&M Invitational with 30 points and John McKenzie Invitational with 21 points.

The Rollie Geiger Award
SOUTHEAST REGION — Laurie Henes — NC State

Henes, in her 18th year as head coach at NC State, led the Wolfpack to the team title at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships with 123 points. Earlier this season, NC State won the team titles at the Southeast Region Championships with 52 points, ACC Championships with 37 points and Joe Piane Invitational with 44 points.

The Tom Heinonen Award
WEST REGION — Maurica Powell — Washington

Powell, in her sixth year as head coach at Washington, led the Huskies to an eighth-place finish at the 2023 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. Earlier this season, Washington was third at the West Region Championships and won the Pac-12 Conference Championships with 58 points.