After winning a pair of conference titles and earning his first All-America honor, Colorado College rising senior James Settles was named the Track Athlete of the Year for the 2023 season by the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC).
 
Settles, from Claremont, Calif., became Colorado College's first male track athlete to earn an All-America selection since 2007 with a fourth-place finish in the 5,000-meter final at the 2023 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Settles finished the race in 14:12.53 and posted the highest finish by an SCAC athlete at the national meet since 2018.
 
At the 2023 SCAC Track and Field Championships, Settles captured a pair of titles, the 5K and 10K, becoming just the third male to win both races at the same SCAC meet twice in conference history (he also won both as a freshman in 2021). His time of 14:56.91 in the 5K was the second-fastest in SCAC championship meet history, while his 32:20.95 in the 10K was the third fastest and the best since 2003.
 
Settles is the second Colorado College male to earn the SCAC Track Athlete of the Year honor, joining Josh Fry in 2021. He is also the second male to win the league's Track Athlete of the Year and Newcomer of the Year ('21) honors. Additionally, Settles was named SCAC Men's Track & Field Elite 19 Award recipient for 2023.
 
"James is very deserving of this award," head coach Katie Bretscher said. "He had a record-breaking season from start to finish." 
 
Settles set the school record in the 5K (14:08.47) and 10K (30:20.80) this season.