Dec. 30, 2003

OXFORD, Ohio - Junior David Mitchell (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South) has been named the Division I Male Athlete of the Year by the Ohio Collegiate Cross Country Coaches Association (OCCCCA), OCCCCA President Jeremy Croy (Tiffin) announced today.

Mitchell capped off his junior campaign with a 30th-place finish and all-America honors at the NCAA Championships in November. The junior runner took second at both the Mid-American Conference Championships and the highly-competitive Great Lakes Regional to qualify for his first NCAA meet. The RedHawks finished 14th in the nation at the NCAA Championships after entering the meet ranked No. 25 in the country. The 11-place jump marked the largest in this year's field. Among the teams to finish behind the Red and White were No. 10 Ohio State (15th place), No. 11 BYU (19th) and MAC Champion, No. 15 Central Michigan (16th).

The OCCCCA Awards were voted on by all 42 coaches from the state of Ohio, including 12 Division I schools. Miami's Andrea Kremer also was honored, earning the Division I Female Athlete of the Year Award.

Mitchell returns to action with the RedHawk men's track & field team when gets its season underway Jan. 30, at Kentucky.