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 WCC Scholar-Athletes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Year | Sport |
| Conner Mantz | 2022 | Men's Cross Country |
| Mary Lake | 2020 | Women's Volleyball |
| Roni Jones-Perry | 2019 | Women's Volleyball |
| Amy Boswell | 2017 | Women's Volleyball |
| Miles Batty | 2012 | Men's Cross Country |
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.