Wednesday, November 27, 2013

PORTLAND, Ore.  – Michael Friess, who led the University of Alaska Anchorage to men’s and women’s GNAC team titles and national Top 10 finishes this fall, has been voted the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men’s Team and Women’s Team  Cross Country Coach of the Year.  

Friess, who is a 1985 graduate of Linfield and is in his 24th season at UAA, swept the two GNAC Coach of the Year awards for the fourth year in a row.  His women’s award was his fifth straight and his eighth since 2003. 

He won the GNAC Men’s Team Coach of the Year award for the seventh time.  He was also the PacWest Coach of the Year in 1997, giving him a total of 16 Coach of the Year awards overall.

In addition to his 16 cross country awards, he has also won two track and field awards winning the GNAC Men’s Coach of the Year prize in 2008 and 2009.

Friess, who also earned his fourth USTFCCCA West Region women’s Coach of the Year award this fall, led the UAA women to a program-best fourth place finish – its fifth consecutive Top 10 performance – in last week’s NCAA Division II national meet in Spokane after earlier winning the NCAA West Region title for the fourth time in five years and the GNAC title for the fifth year in a row.

Friess’ men finished seventh at the national meet earning a Top 10 finish for the fourth year in a row.  Earlier he coached the Seawolves to their fifth consecutive GNAC title and to a second place finish in the West Region meet.

Five of Friess’ athletes won All-American awards with Top 40 finishes at Spokane including  Joyce Kipchumba (13th) and Susan Tanui (16th) in the women’s division and Dylan Anthony (25th), Victor Samoei (32nd) and Isaac Kangogo (40th) in the men’s division.