MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – Redshirt 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, Canada, native is the second-ever Mountaineer to win the honor, and the first WVU runner to win the award twice. Megan Metclafe took home the honor in 2002.  Previously, McCabe was named Big 12 Women's Runner of the Year in 2021 and 2022 and Big 12 Women's Newcomer of the Year in 2019.
 
"Ceili's performance in championship season was nearly perfect," coach Sean Cleary said. "Last year, she nailed the Big 12, NCAA Regionals and NCAA finals. This year she was nearly identical. Her consistency is unparalleled in program history, and this award is reflective of her body of work and winning record."
 
The honor was awarded to McCabe after a remarkable 2022 cross country season, where she went undefeated throughout her first four races.
 
"We are very proud to have Ceili, not only as a member of this program, but also this department, university and great state."
 
The Canadian began her 2022 season with a 5K at the Live in Lou Cross Country Classic. McCabe set a new women's course record at E.P "Tom" Sawyer State Park, with a first-place finish and personal-best time of 16:23.9 (5K).
 
McCabe continued her award-winning season by earning first-place at the Penn State National Open with a 6k time of 20:00.8. The time was good enough for second-best in the race's history and sixth-best in Blue and White Golf Course's history.
 
In her inaugural event of the postseason, she finished first at the Big 12 Championships for the second consecutive year with a time of 20:08.4. McCabe was the first Mountaineer in program history to win the title in 2021. She received the All-Big 12 Team honors for her performance.
 
McCabe finished first at the Mid-Atlantic Regionals with a time of 19:58.3 and helped lift the team to a second-place finish, giving the Mountaineers an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships for the second year in-a-row. Additionally, she earned a spot on the All-Region Team and was named Mid-Atlantic Region Runner of the Year for the second consecutive season.
 
She was the first Mountaineer to cross the finish line at the NCAA Championship, where she earned First Team All-American after a 24th-place finish with a time of 20:03.2.
 
Of note, McCabe was named Big 12 Runner of the Week on Oct 4.
 
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