SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— The UC Santa Barbara Men's Cross Country team picked up a pair of postseason Big West Conference awards Friday afternoon as Shayla Houlihan was named Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year and Zachary Parker was named Freshman of the Year.
As announced on the conference's postseason award show on ESPN+, the Big West honored the 2021 champs crowning their newest leader and one of its top young athletes.
Houlihan came to UCSB this past summer and from the jump was a truly influential leader for this group of Gauchos that has over the few years competed hard, but had yet to break through. Immediately forming a connection with senior captain Nick Randazzo, Houlihan guided him and the team with a steady plan for the season that saw them reach peak fitness at the perfect time. Her strategy that was put into play at the Big West Championships is credited for the win by Director Cody Fleming as they knocked off rival Cal Poly and took home their first title since 2015.
Houlihan is just the third Gaucho coach in program history to win the award on the men's side and it is the seventh time the award has been won by UCSB. She joins former Cal Poly coach Terry Crawford as the only other woman to win the award.
Parker is just the third Gaucho men's cross country runner to take home the title of Freshman of the Year, an award that the conference began giving out in 2005. Looking like a veteran on the course, Parker finished sixth at the Big West Championships with a time 24:10.2, which was crucial to UCSB's victory. He also finished 4th at the Stump Invitational and 14th at the Bronco Invitational earlier in the season.
Houlihan, Parker, and the Gauchos now have their sights set on next weekend's NCAA Regional.
