CORVALLIS, Ore. – College of Idaho’s Ellyse Tingelstad was crowned the 2021 Cascade Collegiate Conference WVT Laboratory Women’s Runner of the Year after a stellar season, capped by a conference championship and an All-American finish.
Coyote head coach Austin Basterrechea also grabbed the CCC Women’s Coach of the Year honor and Northwest University earned the Les Schwab Team Sportsmanship Award.
Tingelstad, a sophomore from Joseph, Ore., led C of I to its third consecutive Cascade Collegiate Conference Championship, presented by U.S. Bank, with her second-straight individual win. She clocked in with a time of 19 minutes, 6.30 seconds on the course at 4,000-feet of elevation.
At the NAIA National Championship, Tingelstad was the highest CCC finisher and took eighth individually with a time of 18:35.00. She becomes the eighth C of I women's runner to earn a second All-America honor in cross country and the sixth Top-10 finisher for the Yotes (and first since 2017).
Tingelstad is the third Coyote to earn the CCC’s top honor after Stephanie Helm (2007, 08) and Hillary Holt (2012, 13).
Following the CCC championship race, Basterrechea grabbed his third Women’s Coach of the Year honor. The Coyotes scored 33 points at the conference championship, with all five scoring runners finishing before any other squad's third finisher.