2009 All-Mountain West Conference Cross Country Teams Announced

New Mexico's Joe Franklin named Men's and Women's Coach of the Year

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Oct. 31, 2009

OREM, Utah -

New Mexico senior Jacob Kirwa and BYU junior Cecily Lemmon Lew were named Men's and Women's Athletes of the Year, respectively, to lead the 2009 All-Mountain West Conference Cross Country teams. New Mexico's Joe Franklin was named Men's and Women's Coach of the Year.

Kirwa became the third New Mexico runner to win Male Athlete of the Year accolades with a record-breaking 8K performance of 23:34.50. Lew, meanwhile, improved on a 12th-place finish at the 2008 MWC Championships to win her first Female Athlete of the Year award and the tenth by a Cougar runner in the 11-year history of the Mountain West. Her 6K time of 20:47.40 ranks second all-time in MWC Championship history.

New Mexico also had the Freshman of the Year winner on the men's side with Ross Millington taking the honor, while the women's Freshman of the Year award went to Nicole Nielsen of BYU.

Following is a complete list of the men's and women's All-MWC teams:

Men's All-MWC First Team
Jacob Kirwa, New Mexico
Miles Batty, BYU
Justin Tyner, Air Force
Chris Barnicle, New Mexico
Richard Nelson, BYU
David Bishop, New Mexico
Nate Ogden, BYU

Men's All-MWC Second Team
Rory Fraser, New Mexico
Alden Bahr, BYU
Ross Millington, New Mexico
Brandon Hebbert, BYU
Ryan Merriman, BYU
Zach Nordahl, Air Force
Lee Emanuel, New Mexico

Men's Athlete of the Year: Jacob Kirwa, New Mexico
Men's Freshman of the Year: Ross Millingon, New Mexico
Men's Coach of the Year: Joe Franklin, New Mexico

Women's All-MWC First Team
Cecily Lemmon Lew, BYU
Ruth Senior, New Mexico
Nicky Archer, New Mexico
Lacey Oeding, New Mexico
Ellie Rastall, Colorado State
Katy Andrews, BYU
Ashley Gibson, New Mexico

Women's All-MWC Second Team
Vanessa Ortiz, New Mexico
Kristen Hemphill, Colorado State
Angela Wagner, BYU
Nicole Nielsen, BYU
Carolyn Boosey, New Mexico
Delyth James, New Mexico
Sarah Heuer, Colorado State

Women's Athlete of the Year: Cecily Lemmon Lew, BYU
Women's Freshman of the Year: Nicole Nielsen, BYU
Women's Coach of the Year: Joe Franklin, New Mexico