Mantz named WCC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year

SAN MATEO, Calif. — Former BYU men’s cross country runner Conner Mantz was named the 2022 Mike Gilleran WCC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the conference at its annual awards dinner on Wednesday.

At the close of each athletic season, the West Coast Conference awards a Mike Gilleran Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor to a male and female student-athlete who has demonstrated exceptional ability in the classroom and in the sport.

Mantz joins Miles Batty (2012) as the only BYU men’s athletes to receive the award. 

BYU Athletics was also honored with both a WCC Commissioner’s Cup and Women’s All-Sports Award for the ninth consecutive season.

A three-time WCC individual champion, Mantz graduated from BYU in April 2022 with a degree in mechanical engineering and a cumulative GPA of 3.76. Wednesday’s award is only the latest in a slew of academic awards’ Mantz earned during his collegiate career.

Mantz was recognized on the CoSIDA Academic All-District® Team on May 26 and advances to the Academic All-American ballot to be announced in June.

The USTFCCCA recognized Mantz as NCAA Division I Men’s Cross Country National Scholar Athlete of the Year for the second-straight season on Jan. 27. Mantz also received Gold Honors on the WCC Commissioner’s Honor Roll in August 2021.

The Smithfield, Utah native capped his prolific BYU career with a successful defense of his Division I Men’s Cross Country National Championship in November 2021. The Sky View High School product recorded top-10 finishes in each of his 22-career collegiate cross country meets, including 13 meet wins and nine straight to finish his time as a Cougar.

Following the conclusion of his BYU career in Nov. 2021, Mantz signed a professional contract with Nike Running and continues to compete with his sights set on the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.