Colorado College's Alex Nichols has been selected the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Coach of the Year for both men's and women's cross country in exclusive voting by the head coaches in the conference.

The Tigers swept both the men's and women's conference titles at last month's championship meet, with the men winning their third consecutive SCAC championship and the women claiming their second conference crown in three years.

Led by senior Josh Fry, who defended his individual title and SCAC Runner of the Year status, the Colorado College men's team captured seven of the top eight individual spots and eight runners finished in the top 14 to earn all-conference honors. Fry went on to an 11th-place individual result at the Region X meet to earn a slot in the Division III Cross Country National Championships on Saturday.
 
CC finished with 17 points at the SCAC championship meet, the best score ever by the Tigers since joining the conference in 2006.  

The team title represented the ninth overall for the men's cross country program (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2020/21 and 2021).
 
On the women's side, paced by individual champion and SCAC Runner of the Year Elliot Singer, Colorado College placed four runners in the top seven, another four in the top 14 to earn all-conference honors, and finished with 27 points, 10 points ahead of second-place Trinity University.

The title was the fifth for the CC women since the institution joined the conference prior to the 2006 season.

The Tigers, who finished third at the West Region meet on Nov. 12, received an at-large berth to the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships and will compete on Saturday, Nov. 20 at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky., beginning at 12 p.m. (ET).

Nichols has served as head coach of both the men's and women's cross country teams at CC since 2020, serving as an interim head coach following the retirement of legendary head coach Ted Castaneda before taking over the role permanently prior to this season. Nichols earned 2020-21 SCAC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year following the spring meet which was run at the University of Dallas.