Butler's Sweeps Horizon League Cross Country Athlete-of-the-Year Awards
Dec. 3, 2004
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Indianapolis, Ind. - Butler University's Olly Laws and Victoria Mitchell have been chosen as the annual Horizon League Men's and Women's Cross Country Athletes-of-the-Year. Voting was conducted by the league's coaches at the conclusion of the season.
Laws receives the Cross Country Athlete of the Year honor for the second consecutive year. He earned All-Horizon League Team honors after placing sixth at the Horizon League meet behind five of his teammates. Next up for Laws was finishing 20th at the Great Lakes Regional. He went on to become a NCAA Division I All-American after placing 19th at the NCAA National Meet (13th for scoring purposes). Laws led the Butler men to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
Mitchell was the 2004 Horizon League individual champion and was Butler's No. 1 runner all season. She went on to place 45th at the Great Lakes Regional, after finishing the final 800 meters on a broken foot. Mitchell was unable to run at the NCAA Championships. She was also the recipient of the 2004 Horizon League Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year award.The man responsible for much of Butler's cross country success is coach Joe Franklin. Following the NCAA Championships, Franklin earned National Coach-of-the-Year accolades. He was also named the 2004 Horizon League Coach of the Year on both the men's and women'sides. Franklin led the Bulldogs to the 2004 NCAA meet, where the men placed fourth in the nation, while the women finished in 31st place.
Horizon League Championship Wrap-up: Individual champions were Butler's Andrew Sherman and Victoria Mitchell. Butler's Genni Gardner earned the 2004 women's Newcomer of the Year award, while UW-Milwaukee's Joe Wawrzyniak received the men's Newcomer-of-the-Year honor.
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