Cal Poly Cross Country Claims Five Big West Awards
11/2/2023 12:05:00 PM | Cross Country
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — After securing a second straight Big West Championship sweep, it's no surprise that the Cal Poly cross country program dominated the end-of-season conference awards released Thursday.
The Mustang men won all three of the conference's top honors as graduate student Davis Bove was crowned Big West Men's Athlete of the Year, Chris Caudillo earned Men's Freshman of the Year honors and Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Ryan Vanhoy was named Men's Coach of the Year. It's the seventh time the men have swept all three Big West yearly awards.
On the women's side, Sydney Sundgren received Big West Women's Freshman of the Year praise while head women's cross country coach Michelle Chewens was selected as the Women's Coach of the Year.
Overall, Cal Poly claimed five of the six major awards from the conference, the program's most since winning all six in 2016.
Bove rolled to the men's individual title at the Big West Championships last Friday at Blacklake Golf Resort, finishing the 8K course in 23:37.4 — just 10 seconds off the Big West meet record former Mustang Jake Ritter set in 2022. Bove's performance helped Cal Poly capture its second straight conference title. The LSU transfer from Franklin, Tenn. has won the individual title at all three meets he has raced in this season.
Caudillo proved to be a pivotal piece in the Mustangs' Big West Championship triumph. The Clovis, Calif. native was the fifth runner to cross the finish line for the men in the conference meet, placing 13th overall (24:27.1). Caudillo is Cal Poly's first Big West Men's Freshman of the Year since 2019 and the 10th all-time.
For the second consecutive season, Vanhoy was tabbed as the Big West Men's Coach of the Year. The distinction was well earned after the Mustangs throttled the rest of the conference. Cal Poly beat out second place UC Santa Barbara by a resounding 60 points to secure the team title — the second largest margin of victory in Big West Championship history and the largest since Cal Poly joined the conference in 1996. Friday's victory allowed Cal Poly to raise its 19th Big West trophy and sixth in its last seven attempts.
A tight battle entering the conference meet, the Cal Poly women were able to utilize their depth to secure a comfortable 19-point victory over second-place UC Davis, and Sundgren played a key role in that. The first freshman to cross the finish line in the women's race, Sundgren placed 22nd, completing the 6K course in 21:49.7, less than two seconds off her personal best. The Clovis, Calif. native is the Mustangs' second straight Big West Women's Freshman of the Year winner after Tatiana Cornejo won the award a year ago. She is also the program's 11th overall.
Chewens garnered Coach of the Year accolades for the second straight year after grabbing Co-Coach of the Year honors last season. The second-year head coach guided the Mustang women to their ninth Big West Championship, and third in the last five meets. It also marked the fourth time in program history that the Cal Poly women repeated as conference champions.
Last Friday's sweep of the Big West team titles was Cal Poly's seventh in program history.
The Mustangs are just over a week away from competing in the NCAA West Regional hosted by Sacramento State on Friday, Nov. 10, at the Haggin Oaks Golf Course.
The Mustang men won all three of the conference's top honors as graduate student Davis Bove was crowned Big West Men's Athlete of the Year, Chris Caudillo earned Men's Freshman of the Year honors and Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Ryan Vanhoy was named Men's Coach of the Year. It's the seventh time the men have swept all three Big West yearly awards.
On the women's side, Sydney Sundgren received Big West Women's Freshman of the Year praise while head women's cross country coach Michelle Chewens was selected as the Women's Coach of the Year.
Overall, Cal Poly claimed five of the six major awards from the conference, the program's most since winning all six in 2016.
Bove rolled to the men's individual title at the Big West Championships last Friday at Blacklake Golf Resort, finishing the 8K course in 23:37.4 — just 10 seconds off the Big West meet record former Mustang Jake Ritter set in 2022. Bove's performance helped Cal Poly capture its second straight conference title. The LSU transfer from Franklin, Tenn. has won the individual title at all three meets he has raced in this season.
Caudillo proved to be a pivotal piece in the Mustangs' Big West Championship triumph. The Clovis, Calif. native was the fifth runner to cross the finish line for the men in the conference meet, placing 13th overall (24:27.1). Caudillo is Cal Poly's first Big West Men's Freshman of the Year since 2019 and the 10th all-time.
For the second consecutive season, Vanhoy was tabbed as the Big West Men's Coach of the Year. The distinction was well earned after the Mustangs throttled the rest of the conference. Cal Poly beat out second place UC Santa Barbara by a resounding 60 points to secure the team title — the second largest margin of victory in Big West Championship history and the largest since Cal Poly joined the conference in 1996. Friday's victory allowed Cal Poly to raise its 19th Big West trophy and sixth in its last seven attempts.
A tight battle entering the conference meet, the Cal Poly women were able to utilize their depth to secure a comfortable 19-point victory over second-place UC Davis, and Sundgren played a key role in that. The first freshman to cross the finish line in the women's race, Sundgren placed 22nd, completing the 6K course in 21:49.7, less than two seconds off her personal best. The Clovis, Calif. native is the Mustangs' second straight Big West Women's Freshman of the Year winner after Tatiana Cornejo won the award a year ago. She is also the program's 11th overall.
Chewens garnered Coach of the Year accolades for the second straight year after grabbing Co-Coach of the Year honors last season. The second-year head coach guided the Mustang women to their ninth Big West Championship, and third in the last five meets. It also marked the fourth time in program history that the Cal Poly women repeated as conference champions.
Last Friday's sweep of the Big West team titles was Cal Poly's seventh in program history.
The Mustangs are just over a week away from competing in the NCAA West Regional hosted by Sacramento State on Friday, Nov. 10, at the Haggin Oaks Golf Course.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
Mustang Minute: Cross Country/Track Distance Runner Swarnjit Boyal
Wednesday, November 29
Rapid Fire: Cal Poly Distance Runner Swarnjit Boyal
Wednesday, November 29
