Award History
NCAA DII XC National Awards2023 NCAA Division II Cross Country National Awards
NEW ORLEANS — National Athletes & Coaches of the Year for the 2023 NCAA Division II 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.
HISTORY: National Athletes of the Year | National Coaches of the Year
Awards were voted on by member coaches based on results from both the 2023 NCAA DII Cross Country Championships in Joplin, Missouri, and during the regular season.
The Doris Brown Heritage Award
National Women's Athlete of the Year
Lindsay Cunningham was named the 2023 NCAA Division II Women’s Cross Country National Athlete of the Year. Cunningham, who hails from Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, put a stamp on one of the most dominant seasons in recent memory with an individual title at the 2023 NCAA DII Cross Country Championships in Joplin, Missouri. She took off from the start, led by nearly six seconds at the 1k split and extended that to a 15.1-second victory in a time of 19:30.1. Cunningham won all six of her competitions, including other individual titles at the Green Bay Phoenix Open, the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational, the Lewis Crossover, the NSIC Championships as well as the Central Region Championships.
The Doug Watts Award
National Men's Athlete of the Year
William Amponsah was named the 2023 NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Athlete of the Year. Ampsonah, who hails from Agona Swedru, Central, Ghana, capped an undefeated season with an individual title at the 2023 NCAA DII Cross Country Championships this past weekend in Joplin, Missouri. He covered the 10k tract in 29:04.3 to beat the field by nearly nine seconds. During the regular season, Ampsonah took top individual honors at the Big Country Festival, the Texas Tech Open, the Live in Lou Classic, the Lone Star Conference Championships and the South Central Region Championships.
The Joe Vigil Award
National Men's Coach of the Year
Pol Domenech was named the 2023 NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Coach of the Year. Domenech, in his fourth year as head coach at Wingate, led the Bulldogs to the team title at the 2023 NCAA DII Cross Country Championships this past weekend in Joplin, Missouri. Wingate, which was the only team with five All-Americans, beat two-time defending champion Colorado School of Mines, 70-79. Hamza Chahid and Soheil Boufrizi both finished among the top-10 athletes in fourth and tenth place, respectively. During the regular season, the Bulldogs posted an excellent result at the Paul Short Run, where they finished second in the Men’s College Gold Race. Wingate hit its stride in the postseason, winning team titles at both the SAC Championships as well as the Southeast Region Championships.
The Duane Vandenbusche Award
National Women's Coach of the Year
Jerry Baltes was named the 2023 NCAA Division II Women’s Cross Country National Coach of the Year. Baltes, in his 25th year as head coach at Grand Valley State, led the Lakers to the team title at the 2023 NCAA DII Cross Country Championships this past weekend in Joplin, Missouri. GVSU left no doubt as it sent scoring athletes across in 3-7-11-12-26 for a total of 59 points. That was 27 fewer than runner-up Adams State. Natalie Graber paced the Lakers with a third-place individual effort. During the regular season, GVSU racked up team titles at the Live in Lou XC Classic, the GLIAC Championships as well as the Midwest Region Championships.