Ihmels is Repeat Big 12 Coach of the Year

IRVING, Texas - Iowa State head cross country coach Corey Ihmels been selected as the 2012 Big 12 Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year, as voted by the league's coaches. This is the second consecutive honor for Ihmels. Dave Smith of Oklahoma State was the league men's coach of the year.

Ihmel's women's team claimed its second-straight Big 12 Championship with an impressive performance. Iowa State runners Betsy Saina and Meaghan Nelson claimed the top two spots while three other Cyclone women earned All-Big 12 honors en route to a team score of 34. Saina took home the individual crown with a time of 20:06.8, while Nelson followed four seconds later. Freshman Crystal Nelson claimed eighth-place and was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year with a time of 20:47.6.

The Iowa State women have won four consecutive team meets this season and are ranked No. 2 in the nation as they look to continue that streak at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship on Nov. 9 in Springfield, Mo. Under Ihmels, the women's team has won the Midwest Regional each of the last two seasons and recorded top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships, including a seventh-place showing in 2011.