By the Pac-12 Conference

Arizona’s Lalang Named Men’s Athlete of the Year
Oregon’s Hasay Named Women’s Athlete of the Year
Oregon’s Woodward, Stanford’s Hatton Named Women’s Newcomers of the Year
Oregon’s Johnson and Colorado’s Wetmore Named Coaches of the Year

Cross Country History

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - The Conference office announced today the Pac-12 men’s and women’s cross country awards. For the second consecutive year, Arizona’s Lawi Lalang and Oregon’s Jordan Hasay were named the Pac-12 Men’s and Women’s Athletes of the Year. Oregon’s Trevor Dunbar was selected the Pac-12 Men’s Newcomer/Freshman of the Year, and UO’s Allie Woodward and Stanford’s Cayla Hatton were voted Pac-12 Co-Newcomer/Freshmen of the Year. Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors went to Colorado’s Mark Wetmore on the men’s side, and UO’s Robert Johnson on the women’s side.

Oregon senior Jordan Hasay (Arroyo Grande, Calif.) is the third athlete to win the honor in three-consecutive years since the Conference began sponsoring women’s sports in 1986. Hasay led the Ducks to their first Pac-12 title since 1995, crossing the finish line in second place overall. Hasay went on to claim the NCAA West Region crown for the third-consecutive year and placed third, just .7 seconds behind the winner, at the NCAA Championships as UO took top honors at both competitions. Hasay was also named the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s (USTFCCCA) Pacific Region Women’s Athlete of the Year.

For the first time in the history of the award (since 1999), co-recipients were selected for the Pac-12 Newcomer/Freshman of the Year. Freshman Cayla Hatton (Andover, Mass.) is the first Cardinal to earn the honor since 2004, while redshirt freshman Allie Woodward (Green Bay, Wis.) is the first Duck to earn the distinction since teammate Jordan Hasay was a freshman four years ago. Hatton placed 22nd and was one of five scorers for the Cardinal who placed third at the Pac-12 Championships. She went on to place fifth overall at the NCAA West Regional. She was the third Cardinal to cross the finish line at the NCAA Championships, helping Stanford to a third-place finish, the team’s highest finish since 2005-07.

Woodward was a key element to Oregon’s title runs at the Pac-12, NCAA West Regional and NCAA Championships. She scored at all three meets as the second or third Duck to cross the finish line. She was fifth overall finisher at the Pac-12 Championships, then placed seventh at the regional meet. She finished the season with a top-35 showing at NCAA’s and standing atop the team podium.

First-year head coach Robert Johnson led his Ducks women’s squad to a Pac-12, NCAA West Region and a NCAA title this year, ending long droughts at each of the meets. The league and region titles are the team’s first since 1995 and the NCAA Championship is the program’s first since 1987. Johnson is the first Oregon head coach to win the award since 1995, the same year the Ducks last won a Conference crown. He was also named the USTFCCCA National and West Region Women’s Coach of the Year.

Arizona sophomore Lawi Lalang (Eldoret, Kenya) is the first male athlete to earn the honor in back-to-back years since Arizona’s Robert Cheseret won it in 2004 and 2005. Lalang won his second-consecutive Pac-12 title with a time of 22:49, edging out teammate senior Stephen Sambu by just one second. He went on to post a decisive win at the NCAA West Region meet for his second-straight win at the event, finishing ahead of the rest of the field by more than 30 seconds. He saw his two-year undefeated streak come to an end, however, at the NCAA Championships, but still placed third overall. He was also named the USTFCCCA West Region Male Athlete of the Year for the second-straight year.

Senior Trevor Dunbar (Kodiak, Alaska) comes to the Pac-12 after transferring from the University of Portland. Dunbar was Oregon’s top finisher at the Pac-12 Championships, NCAA West Regional and NCAA Championships. Dunbar was third in the individual race, helping UO to a third-place finish at the league meet. He went on to place third overall at the NCAA West Regional, helping the Ducks earn an at-large bid for the NCAA Championships where UO was 20th overall.

Colorado’s Mark Wetmore wins the Pac-12 Men’s Coach of the Year honor for the second-straight year after leading the Buffs to a second-consecutive Pac-12 title with a commanding lead over second-place Stanford. Colorado had three runners finish in the top 10, while the five scoring runners finished in the top 15, and all crossed the finish line in the top 20. The Buffs would post the largest margin of victory (33 points) at the league championship since 2003. The Buffs went on to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships where they placed third in the team competition for the second-straight year.

Following are the men’s and women’s All-Pac-12 teams. The top seven finishers at the Pac-12 Championships are named to the first team. The eighth through 14th finishers at the Conference Championships are placed on the second team. Athletes names are listed below are in alphabetical order.