2013 BYU Hall of Fame
On a cold but sunny afternoon in Terre Haute, Indiana, on November 25, the 2002 women's cross country team capped a perfect season by winning the NCAA National Championship — its fourth national title in six years.
In addition to winning every race it entered, the 2002 women’s cross country team became the first BYU program to win back-to-back national championships.
Although the Cougars dominated its 2002 competition, the National Championship race had plenty of drama.
Just minutes after the race ended, the meet announcer declared Stanford the winner based on the unofficial results. But during the review process, NCAA officials discovered that BYU's top runner, Michaela Mannova, had not been counted properly. Twenty minutes after the race ended, BYU was declared the official winner.
Junior All-American Mannova matched her 2001 national finish placing fifth overall, while freshman sensation Kassi Andersen followed closely in seventh place. Katie Martin and Breanne Sandberg rounded out the top-four runner for BYU, giving the Cougars four All-Americans. Coach Patrick Shane was named National Coach of the Year for the third time in his career.