Sam Gilman Named Mountain West Athlete of the Year
8/2/2023 1:03:00 PM | Cross Country, Track and Field
COLORADO SPRINGS Colo. – Air Force distance standout Sam Gilman, a 2023 graduate of the Falcons' cross country and track & field program, was named the Mountain West Male Athlete of the Year for the 2022-23 season, the conference office announced this afternoon (Aug. 2). The native of Hilton Head Island, S.C., is just the third Academy athlete to capture the Mountain West's top athletic award that encompasses all 18 MW-sponsored sports.
Highlighted by a pair of All-America accolades and his third-straight MW Track and Field Athlete of the Year award, Gilman had another stellar season for the Falcons – helping the program to its second-straight MW Triple Crown with conference titles in cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field.
Gilman opened his senior season with a strong cross country campaign that included all-conference and all-region accolades. With a sixth-place finish at the MW Championships, Gilman helped the men to their third-straight conference title and became the first Falcon to ever capture first-team all-MW honors in three consecutive meets. Gilman, a two-time MW Runner of the Week, was the Falcons' top finisher at both the Cowboy Jamboree (28th of 230) and Wisconsin Nuttycombe Invitational (10th of 245), while earning a scoring finish in every other meet as the men earned their first top-five national ranking and a program-best seventh-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
His success continued onto the track, where he concluded another impressive indoor season with his second-straight MW Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year award. An All-American at 3000 meters, Gilman entered the NCAA meet ranked 11th in the nation after clocking an Air Force and Mountain West Record time of 7:43.70 at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in mid-February. Using his trademark kick to delete four seconds off his own program standard, Gilman won the Elite heat – and a full event that included more than 250 runners – by one second, while accounting for the fastest time ever by a service academy runner.
His indoor success was not limited to just the 3000-meter distance, as Gilman was named the Mountain West Performer of the Meet after defending his conference title in the mile and anchoring the distance medley relay to its second-straight victory at the MW Indoor Championships – a 20-point outing that helped the men dominate the field and successfully defend their team title. Clocking the fourth-fastest mile in MW Championship Meet history, Gilman became just the third conference runner to claim back-to-back titles in that event. In addition to being undefeated in the mile during the 2023 season, Gilman also accounted for the 13th-fastest 5000-meter time in the NCAA following a 13:25.64 performance at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in December – a time just 0.48 off his own program record.
Gilman's conference success continued as the season moved outdoors, claiming the sixth MW title of his career and leading Air Force to a 1-2-3 finish in the 5000-meter run at the MW Outdoor Championships. The senior, who also helped Air Force to a 1-2 finish in the 1500-meter final, accounted for 18 points at the conference meet as the men defended their MW Outdoor title in dominating fashion – recording the highest team score (237.50) since 2006 and the largest margin of victory (67 points) since 2009.
He rewrote the Academy Record Book again during the outdoor season, resetting his own 5000-meter record following a 13:30.36 performance for the top collegiate finish at the Payton Jordan Invitational in mid-April. That time, third overall in the Elite section, marked a new Service Academy standard and the third-fastest time in Mountain West history. Gilman finished third in the 5000-meter run at the NCAA West Prelim to advance to his fourth-straight national final, where he captured his program-record fourth All-America award in track and field – and fifth overall.
With today's announcement, Gilman became just the third athlete in Air Force history to earn the league's top award, joining former distance standouts Patrick Corona (2015-16) and Mahala Norris (2020-21).
The Mountain West Athlete of the Year award is bestowed, annually, to one male and one female student-athlete who have achieved athletic excellence during the past academic year across all 18 conference sports: baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, football, men's and women's golf, women's soccer, softball, women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's outdoor track and field, and volleyball. In addition to superior athletic achievement, criteria for the MW Athlete of the Year award requires that nominees be in good academic standing throughout the season of competition and demonstrate good character and conduct, on-and-off the playing field.
Highlighted by a pair of All-America accolades and his third-straight MW Track and Field Athlete of the Year award, Gilman had another stellar season for the Falcons – helping the program to its second-straight MW Triple Crown with conference titles in cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field.
| GILMAN'S 2022-23 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS |
| Two-Time All-American (indoor 3000-meter run, outdoor 5000-meter run) |
| Three-Time Mountain West Champion (indoor mile, distance medley relay, outdoor 5000-meter run) |
| Mountain West Record Holder (3000-meter run - 7:43.70) |
| No. 3 All-Time Mountain West (outdoor 5000-meter run (13:30.36) |
| Mountain West indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year |
| Performer of the Meet, Mountain West Indoor Championships |
| Five-Time All-Conference Selection |
| Member of Three Mountain West Championship Teams (2022 cross country, 2023 indoor track & field, 2023 outdoor track & field) |
| Five-Time Mountain West Athlete of the Week (two in cross country, three in track & field) |
| All-Region, Cross Country |
| Set Two Air Force Records (3000-meter run, outdoor 5000-meter run) |
| Set Two All-Academy Records (3000-meter run, outdoor 5000-meter run) |
| Air Force Academy Athletic Excellence Award Winner |
| Cross Country MVP, Track & Field MVP |
Gilman opened his senior season with a strong cross country campaign that included all-conference and all-region accolades. With a sixth-place finish at the MW Championships, Gilman helped the men to their third-straight conference title and became the first Falcon to ever capture first-team all-MW honors in three consecutive meets. Gilman, a two-time MW Runner of the Week, was the Falcons' top finisher at both the Cowboy Jamboree (28th of 230) and Wisconsin Nuttycombe Invitational (10th of 245), while earning a scoring finish in every other meet as the men earned their first top-five national ranking and a program-best seventh-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
His success continued onto the track, where he concluded another impressive indoor season with his second-straight MW Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year award. An All-American at 3000 meters, Gilman entered the NCAA meet ranked 11th in the nation after clocking an Air Force and Mountain West Record time of 7:43.70 at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in mid-February. Using his trademark kick to delete four seconds off his own program standard, Gilman won the Elite heat – and a full event that included more than 250 runners – by one second, while accounting for the fastest time ever by a service academy runner.
His indoor success was not limited to just the 3000-meter distance, as Gilman was named the Mountain West Performer of the Meet after defending his conference title in the mile and anchoring the distance medley relay to its second-straight victory at the MW Indoor Championships – a 20-point outing that helped the men dominate the field and successfully defend their team title. Clocking the fourth-fastest mile in MW Championship Meet history, Gilman became just the third conference runner to claim back-to-back titles in that event. In addition to being undefeated in the mile during the 2023 season, Gilman also accounted for the 13th-fastest 5000-meter time in the NCAA following a 13:25.64 performance at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in December – a time just 0.48 off his own program record.
Gilman's conference success continued as the season moved outdoors, claiming the sixth MW title of his career and leading Air Force to a 1-2-3 finish in the 5000-meter run at the MW Outdoor Championships. The senior, who also helped Air Force to a 1-2 finish in the 1500-meter final, accounted for 18 points at the conference meet as the men defended their MW Outdoor title in dominating fashion – recording the highest team score (237.50) since 2006 and the largest margin of victory (67 points) since 2009.
He rewrote the Academy Record Book again during the outdoor season, resetting his own 5000-meter record following a 13:30.36 performance for the top collegiate finish at the Payton Jordan Invitational in mid-April. That time, third overall in the Elite section, marked a new Service Academy standard and the third-fastest time in Mountain West history. Gilman finished third in the 5000-meter run at the NCAA West Prelim to advance to his fourth-straight national final, where he captured his program-record fourth All-America award in track and field – and fifth overall.
With today's announcement, Gilman became just the third athlete in Air Force history to earn the league's top award, joining former distance standouts Patrick Corona (2015-16) and Mahala Norris (2020-21).
The Mountain West Athlete of the Year award is bestowed, annually, to one male and one female student-athlete who have achieved athletic excellence during the past academic year across all 18 conference sports: baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, football, men's and women's golf, women's soccer, softball, women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's outdoor track and field, and volleyball. In addition to superior athletic achievement, criteria for the MW Athlete of the Year award requires that nominees be in good academic standing throughout the season of competition and demonstrate good character and conduct, on-and-off the playing field.
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