NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association today announced BYU cross country’s Conner Matnz has been named the 2020 National Men’s Athlete of the Year.
Mantz won the invitational title at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The three-time cross country All-American dominated the field, crossing the finish line 22.1 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. His performance led the BYU men’s cross country team to a seventh-place finish, the program’s fifth consecutive top-10 finish at the championship meet.
The junior became the third BYU men’s runner to win an individual national title in cross country. Josh Rohatinsky won the 2006 individual title and current BYU head coach Ed Eyestone won the 1984 championship. Rohatinsky and Mantz are the only two athletes in program history to receive the USTFCCCA’s national award.
Mantz claimed his second consecutive West Coast Conference individual title in February, leading the BYU men’s cross country team to its sixth straight league title. The junior also won the Silver State Challenge and finished runner-up at the OSU Invitational.
The complete list of 2020 cross country national award winners can be found on ustfccca.org.