NEW ORLEANS — The USTFCCCA named BYU head coach Ed Eyestone the 2019 National Coach of the Year in its cross country national awards announcement on Tuesday.
Eyestone, in his 20th season as head coach, guided the BYU men’s cross country team to its first national championship in program history, dethroning Northern Arizona University who had won three-straight titles dating back to 2016.
The coach is the first person in NCAA cross country history to win an individual title (1984) and to also coach a team to win a national championship.
This is just the second time since 1978 that a coach from BYU won this award. Sherald James, who coached Eyestone when he ran at BYU, earned the honor in 1993 when he led the Cougars to a runner-up finish at the national meet.
He guided the BYU men to their fifth-straight West Coast Conference title and seventh in eight years, in addition to wins at the BYU Autumn Classic and the Pre-Nationals Invitational.
Eyestone coached three All-Americans this season, in addition to five All-Region performers and seven All-WCC First-Team athletes and one All-WCC second-team.
Under his direction, he has led BYU to eight top-10 finishes since taking over in 2000, been invited to compete at the national meet in each season that he has been at the helm, coached a total of 27 All-Americans and individual national champion, Josh Rohatinsky, in 2006.