For the fifth consecutive season, 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 league's head coaches and sports information directors.

The Tigers swept both the men's and women's conference titles at last month's championship meet, with the men winning their seventh consecutive SCAC championship and the women claiming their fifth straight conference crown.
 
On the men's side, paced by junior Will Shuflit, who earned Runner-of-the-Year honors by winning the individual title for the second consecutive year, Colorado College captured the top four spots and eight all-conference selections. The Tigers posted 16 points, 47 better than runner-up St. Thomas.
 
After finishing second at the Division III West Region Meet and Shuflit winning the individual title for West Region Athlete of the Year, the Tigers advanced to the NCAA Division III Championships for the second time since 2011. CC placed 25^th and Shuflit earned his second All-America honor with a 16^th-place individual result.
 
The team conference title represented the 13th overall for the Colorado College men's cross country program (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2020/21, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025).
 
Meanwhile, by capturing the top five spots and 10 runners earning all-conference honors, including an individual title for senior Alison Mueller-Hickler, the No. 18-ranked Colorado College women earned the program's ninth overall SCAC title and sixth in the last seven years.
 
Mueller-Hickler won the race in a time of 22:11.18, 16 seconds ahead of runner-up Charlie Flint, who covered the 6K race in 22:27.45. Freshman Sadie Honig finished fourth and was named the league's Newcomer of the Year.
 
With its nine conference title in women's cross country history, CC moved into tie on the league's all-time list, joining DePauw University with nine titles.
 
Two weeks later, Mueller-Hickler won the individual title and CC placed second at the NCAA West Regional to earn an at-large berth into the NCAA Division III Championship meet. At the national meet, the Tigers, participating as a team for the fifth consecutive year, finished 23^rd, led by Mueller-Hickler (26^th) and Flint (30^th), giving the Tigers two All-Americans for the second consecutive season.
 
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 the 2021 season. The COTY honors represent his fifth recognition on the women's side and sixth on the men's. He earned 2020-21 SCAC Men's Cross Country Coach-of-the-Year following the spring meet, which was run at the University of Dallas.