MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – Junior Ceili McCabe of the West Virginia University cross country team was named the Mid-Atlantic Region Athlete of the Year, the United States Track and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced.
 
The Vancouver, British Columbia, native is the third-ever Mountaineer to win the honor. Previously, McCabe was named Big 12 Women's Runner of the Year in 2021 and Big 12 Women's Newcomer of the Year in 2019.
 
"What an incredible honor for a well deserving Mountaineer," coach Sean Cleary said. "Ceili was flawless throughout the regular season. This award is testimony to her hard work and consistent racing." 
 
The honor was awarded to McCabe after a remarkable 2021 cross country season, where she went undefeated throughout the regular season. 
 
Opening her 2021 season in a 5K at the Louisville Classic, McCabe recorded a personal-best time of 16:27.8 (5K). 
 
Going into the postseason, she finished first at the Big 12 Championships and was the first Mountaineer in program history to win the title. She was named to the All-Big 12 Team. 
 
McCabe finished first at the Mid-Atlantic Regionals and led the team to a second-place finish, giving the Mountaineers an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. She was named All-Region. 
 
She led the team to the NCAA Championships, where she became an All-American after a third-place finish with a career-high time of 19:29.5. Her finish was the best in Mountaineer program history.
 
Additionally, during week five, McCabe was named National Athlete of the week by the United States Track and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) and was named Big 12 Runner of the Week during weeks four and five of competition.
 
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