Men’s Program Finishes Third in the John McDonnell Program of the Year Award
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The Northern Arizona men’s cross country and track and field programs finished third in the final standings for the NCAA Division I John McDonnell Program of the Year Award awarded by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The Lumberjacks trailed only Oregon and Arizona State.
“It means a lot,” said Interim Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Eric Heins. “A lot of the credit should go to David McNeill for scoring those points and winning those national championships. He will be the first to tell you that without the support of his teammates and the program, it would not have been possible.”
Northern Arizona was third in the standings with 42½ points (4 XC, =8 ITF, =27 OTF). Led by junior David McNeill’s second-place individual finish, the Lumberjacks placed fourth as a team at the NCAA Cross Country Championships for the second time in three years. McNeill would go on to win the 5000-meter title at the indoor championships, adding a second-place showing in the 3000, to land NAU in a tie for eighth in the team standings.
McNeill went on to copy his indoor performance in the 5000 to the outdoor championship, as he claimed the national crown once again, becoming the first NCAA Champion in the event from Australia since 1960. As a result of the 10 points gained in McNeill’s victory, Northern Arizona finished in a five-way tie for 27th in the team standings at the outdoor championships.
“It says a lot of where NAU is at and the commitment we have to track and field and cross country,” said Heins.
In total, 17 squads participated and scored in each of the three national championships. The Pac-10 finished as the conference leader in the category with four members accomplishing the feat: Oregon (1), Arizona State (2), Washington (5), Stanford (10).
The John McDonnell Program of the Year Award is named after USTFCCCA Hall of Famer and former Arkansas head coach John McDonnell. McDonnell’s Arkansas teams won a combined 40 National Championships and finished in the top ten in cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field in 24 of his 36 seasons in Fayetteville. Five of his teams won the NCAA Triple Crown.
In the final tally in the program of the year standings, Oregon was the only school to record national top-15 finishes in each of the three seasonal championships. As a result, Oregon’s 7½ points (2 XC, =2 ITF, 3 OTF) easily carried the trophy. Nearest challenger, Arizona State, scored 30 points (19 XC, 7 ITF, 4 OTF) for second place in the POY standings.
The NCAA Division I John McDonnell Program of the Year Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding NCAA Division I men’s cross country/track & field program. The award honors the institution that has achieved the most success in each academic year (spanning the cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field seasons) based on the institution’s finish at the NCAA Division I Championships.
In order to be eligible for the award, teams must qualify for each of the NCAA Championships. Scoring is based on the team’s finish at each NCAA Division I Championship in cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field (i.e. 1st = 1 point, 2nd = 2 points, 31st = 31 points) with the lowest total score for all three championships combined determining the award recipient. Ties among schools split points for positions taken.
