Tulsa’s Patrick Dever Named The American’s Men’s Runner of the Year

Photo by: (Ben Solomon/American Athletic C

Tulsa’s Patrick Dever Named The American’s Men’s Runner of the Year

4/16/2021 12:41:00 PM | Cross Country

IRVING, Texas –– Patrick Dever became the first University of Tulsa men's athlete to claim American Athletic Conference Men's Runner of the Year honors since the award was first decided by a popular vote in 2017, the league announced today.

Dever began the season by becoming the third different Tulsa runner (fourth overall) to finish as the individual men's champion at the American Cross-Country Championships, claiming the gold medal in the championship 8K with a time of 23:28.82.

Dever then had a runner-up showing at the OSU Winter Open, clocking an 8K time of 23:58.9, on the OSU Cross Country Course in Stillwater, Okla.

The senior from Leyland, England closed out the cross-country campaign for sixth-place Tulsa by placing fifth individually, earning All-America honors at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships with a 10K time of 29:59.9. Dever's fifth-place showing was the best NCAA meet finish by a runner representing The American in conference history.