Cazzola Named NCAA Midwest Region Athlete Of The Year

UW-Oshkosh’s Christy Cazzola (Jr. • Kaukauna) received the NCAA Division III Women's Cross Country Midwest Region Athlete of the Year award after winning three major races this season. The honor is annually presented by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Cazzola, who finished first or second in all but one race, captured the Midwest Region individual title on Nov. 12 in Rock Island, Ill. Her time of 21:31 was 22 seconds better than the second-place finisher. Cazzola took fourth at the regional competition and the national championship during 2010.

At the WIAC Championship on Oct. 29, Cazzola won her second straight crown. She posted a 6,000-meter time of 21:27 to beat the rest of the field by 40 seconds. Cazzola’s other victory this year came at the Roy Griak Invitational (Sept. 24), when she booked a mark of 22:06.

Cazzola earned second place in a pair of events this season. She clocked a 5,000-meter time of 18:18 at the Midwest Open and a 21:43 figure at the UW-Oshkosh Invitational. In her remaining race, Cazzola placed seventh among 170 runners at the prestigious Notre Dame Invitational.

UW-Oshkosh has now owned the region’s Athlete of the Year three times in four seasons, with Ayla Mitchell taking the honor during 2008 and 2009.

The Midwest Region Men’s Athlete of the Year was Matthew Perez of North Central College (Ill.).