BYU Claims Three WCC Postseason Cross Country Honors

SAN MATEO, Calif. – Nearly two weeks removed from the cross country season’s conclusion, the votes are in for WCC postseason honors, the league announced Thursday.

The Cougars received three of the four awards after sweeping WCC competition in its final conference championship meet in Portland, Ore. on Oct. 28 before entering the Big 12.

WCC Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Year: Casey Clinger

WCC Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Year: Aubrey Frentheway

WCC Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year: Diljeet Taylor

Before placing seventh at nationals on Nov. 19, Casey Clinger covered the 8,000-meter WCC men’s championship course in 21:59.4 to take his first individual WCC title, good for over a minute faster than each of his prior three conference championship races. The senior from American Fork, Utah earned his fourth All-WCC First Team honors with the victory while leading BYU to its eighth straight WCC championship.

Frentheway won the WCC women’s championship 6000-meter, seizing the lead 3,000-meters in and not letting up. She plowed ahead alone at the front of the pack for the last half of the race. With a 19:47.2 finish, Frentheway recorded a new personal-best. She would go on to finish 32nd at the NCAA National Championships on Nov. 19 to power the Cougars to an eighth-place finish.

BYU women’s cross country head coach Diljeet Taylor has now won her fifth consecutive WCC Coach of the Year honors to coincide with five consecutive WCC titles for the women’s team. Under Taylor’s guidance, the Cougars have enjoyed incredible success on the national stage with seven consecutive top-12 finishes at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. This includes BYU’s 2020 NCAA Cross Country Championship and runner-up finishes in both 2021 and 2019.