Cougars Garner Region Awards

NEW ORLEANS - The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced on Wednesday the winners of USTFCCCA Region Athletes and Coaches of the Year honors for the 2011 cross country season and BYU swept the awards for the Mountain Region.

After claiming the individual championship at the Mountain Region Championships last weekend, Miles Batty was named the Mountain Region Athlete of the Year.  Batty, a senior from Sandy, Utah, pulled ahead late in the race to win the Mountain Region in 30:09, two seconds ahead of Southern Utah’s Cameron Levins.  Batty also won the West Coast Conference individual title.

Men’s head coach Ed Eyestone was also named the Mountain Region Coach of the Year. Receiving his second Chick Hislop award in three years, Eyestone led the No. 3 Cougars to a victory at the region championships, placing three runners in the race’s top ten and five in top 16 for a 49-55 victory over runner-up Colorado. BYU also won their first West Coast Conference title this fall. Eyestone is in his 12th year at the helm at BYU.

Earlier this week the USTFCCCA also recognized athletes that earned All-Region awards and seven Cougars were among the 450 athletes receiving the award.

After finishing first in the conference and region championships, five athletes from the men’s team were recognized including Batty, Curtis Carr, Rex Shields, Jared Ward and Jason Witt.

Finishing third in the WCC Championships and second in the Mountain Region Championships, Morgan Haws was also named All-Region, along with Katy Andrews, who as been the Cougars number two all season.

Both the men’s and the women’s teams will compete at the 2011 NCAA National Championships on Nov. 21 in Terra Haute, Ind.