MSSU's Vavra earns coaching award from MIAA peers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Missouri Southern's Patty Vavra was named the MIAA Women's Coach of the Year while Fort Hays State's Jason McCullough was named the MIAA Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year in a vote of their peers.

For Vavra it is her sixth MIAA Coach of the Year honor in Cross Country and 10th overall. She has coached teams to six MIAA titles (1998, 2006-09, 2012) and her team won this year's event.

Vavra has coached four MIAA Individual Champions and coached two All-MIAA selections this season.

For McCullough it is his first time to win the award as he led his team to their first MIAA team title in Cross Country. Cory Keehn won the overall championship for Fort Hays State and two other runners finished in the top ten.

He has coached 23 all-conference runners between his time in the RMAC and the MIAA.