Eyestone Named State of Utah's Collegiate Coach of the Year

PROVO, Utah — The Utah Sports Commission named BYU head coach Ed Eyestone the state’s collegiate coach of the year as part of the Governor’s State of Sports Awards. 

A former national champion (1984) himself, Eyestone became the first person in NCAA history to win an individual championship and coach a team to a title when the BYU men's cross country team won the 2019 NCAA Men's Cross Country Championships. The 2019 title marked the first time that the Cougar men’s cross country team had won a national title in program history. It was also the first collegiate team championship for the BYU athletic program since 2004.

The Cougars knocked off the defending national champion, Northern Arizona, who had won three-straight titles up to that point.

In addition to coaching his team to a national title, the USTFCCCA also named Eyestone the 2019 Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year.

Six BYU athletes earned All-America honors in Conner Mantz, Danny Carney and Jacob Heslington, and Courtney Wayment-Smith, Erica Birk-Jarvis and Whittni Orton on the women's side. The women's team took second at the 2019 NCAA Championships.

Eyestone also guided his team to its second-straight USTFCCCA Scholar Team of the Year award.

In 15 years at the helm, the coach has led the Cougars to 15 conference titles, including five-straight WCC crowns. Thirteen Cougars were named to the 2019 WCC All-Academic team.

The full State of Sports Award release can be found here.