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PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s Runner of the Year awards, which were voted on by the conference’s cross country head coaches.
 
Tulane’s Emmanuel Rotich was named the Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Year, and SMU’s Hannah Miller was voted the Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Year. Rotich and Miller were each this year’s conference individual champion in their respective race. They also both qualified for this year’s NCAA Cross Country Championships.
 
Cincinnati earned the Men’s Cross Country Team Academic Excellence Award, while Memphis earned the Women’s Team Academic Excellence Award for averaging the league’s highest cumulative grade-point averages.
   
Rotich defended his NCAA Regional title this year and was named the USTFCCCA South Central Region Athlete of the Year for the second straight season after claiming first place in the men’s 10k with a time of 29:49.1 to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Rotich maintained a pace of 4:47 per mile, setting personal best and school record in the 10k and breaking the 10k course record at Texas A&M’s Watts Cross Country Course in the process. A two-time NCAA All-Region and All-Conference recipient, Rotich was this year’s men’s American individual champion, finishing first place with a time of 24:58.6. He had won five consecutive meets going into the National Championship race.
   
Miller set a school record at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships, leading SMU to a fourth-place finish, while taking seventh place individually in the 6k with a time of 19:50.7. She was one of 38 student-athletes to earn an at-large bid to her second straight NCAA Championships appearance. Miller led the Mustangs in three races this year and was The American individual champion with a time of 21:18.9, helping her team to finishing second place in the race.