ARLINGTON, Texas — After leading Utah Valley University's women to the WAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship on May 11 at Hal Wing Track & Field in Orem, head coach Scott Houle has been named the Women's Outdoor Coach of the Year, the league announced on Tuesday.
 
It's Houle's 33rd conference coach of the year honor during his 20-year head coaching career at Utah Valley. Houle has now amassed 13 WAC Coach of the Year awards since joining the league in 2013 and comes after the women won their first WAC outdoor title. He now has nine WAC Coach of the Year awards in cross country and four in outdoor track.
 
In addition to the team title, the Wolverines had eight gold medal finishes, including a sweep of the 5k and 10k from Caila Odekirk, who was one of a school-record 14 student-athletes to advance to the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds. Five of the eight event titles came from the women's squad that ran away with the title to upset pre-championship favorite Grand Canyon.
 
Houle also led the women's cross country team to a WAC title and an upset of California Baptist. That also garnered the team its second straight appearance at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and a national ranking to end the year as the team ended up No. 23 in the country.
 
The Wolverines will also have their first active student-athlete participate in the U.S. Olympic Trials with Kelsi Oldroyd qualified for the javelin trials in late June in Eugene, Oregon. Oldroyd also won her second straight outdoor javelin title and made her second straight NCAA appearance this season.