Sarah Hopkins Named USTFCCCA Midwest Region Women’s Coach of the Year

Cross Country | 11/23/2021 2:56:00 PM

MINNEAPOLIS — University of Minnesota cross country program head coach Sarah Hopkins has been named the 2021 USTFCCCA Midwest Region Women’s Coach of the Year, as was announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Tuesday afternoon. The award is the second of Hopkins’ career, after earning the same distinction a season ago.

In her ninth season leading the Maroon and Gold, Hopkins led the Gophers’ women’s team to their second-best NCAA Championship finish in program history, coming in seventh overall in Tallahassee, Fla. this past Saturday behind three All-American performances from Bethany Hasz (seventh), Megan Hasz (23rd) and Abby Kohut-Jackson (39th). The finish came only eight months after the women’s program produced their best NCAA finish in program history under the tutelage of Hopkins, when they claimed fifth at the 2020-21 NCAA Championships this past March.

Hopkins has led the Gophers to a number of top finishes over the 2021 season leading into the national championships, including winning team titles at all of the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships, Big Ten Conference Championships and Roy Griak Invitational. Under Hopkins guidance, the Gophers have also seen a pair of individual Big Ten Championships over the past two seasons, with B. Hasz taking the title in 2020-21 and M. Hasz doing the same less than a month ago at the 2021 Big Ten Championships.

Hopkins is only the third coach in program history to earn the distinction for either gender, with Gary Wilson having earned the award for the women’s program from 2007-09 and Steve Plasencia doing the same with the men’s program in 1999, 2001, 2004 and 2015.

Since Hopkins took over the program as head coach in 2013, Minnesota has only missed one NCAA Championship appearance in 2016, and has accumulated five top-20 and two top-10 finishes in her eight other seasons with the Maroon and Gold.