Houle, Smith Earn XC Coach of the Year Honors
FARMINGTON, Utah (March 7, 2021) – Southern Utah’s Eric Houle and Northern Arizona’s Mike Smith were named the 2021 Winter Big Sky Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Coaches of the Year, announced Sunday by the league office. The postseason awards are voted upon by the league’s cross country coaches.
Southern Utah’s Eric Houle was named the Big Sky Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. Houle first won the honor in 2015. The Thunderbirds upset No. 2 Northern Arizona at the conference championships to claim the 2021 winter title for the men.
The Southern Utah men surpassed their preseason predicted finish of fourth place to claim their second Big Sky title in school history with 35 points. The Thunderbirds’ top five runners finished 3-5-6-10-11 to edge out the Lumberjacks by three points.
Northern Arizona’s Abdihamid Nur claimed the men’s individual crown. Santiago Gaitan of Southern Utah was named the Big Sky Freshman of the Year - the first rookie of the year honor for the Thunderbirds.
Lumberjack head coach Mike Smith earned his third Big Sky Women’s Coach of the Year honor. Smith previously won the award in 2017 and 2019. Smith coached
Northern Arizona to their second straight conference title and conference-leading 22
nd overall. The Lumberjacks top five runners all finished in the top eight to dominate the field. Northern Arizona’s performance propelled the Lumberjacks up seven spots in the national poll to No. 9.
Northern Arizona’s Taryn O’Neill was the individual champion, while Montana’s Olivia Lackland Henry was named the Freshman of the Year.
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