Amelia Mazza-Downie Named Mountain West Female Athlete of the Year

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. –– New Mexico track & field/cross country runner Amelia Mazza-Downie was named the 2022-23 Mountain West Female Athlete of the Year, the conference announced on Wednesday.

Mazza-Downie, who recently graduated from UNM with a degree in psychology, was the 2022 Mountain West Female Cross Country Athlete of the Year and the 2023 Mountain West Female Outdoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year. She earned four All-American honors last season, in cross country, in indoor track & field in the 5,000m and in outdoor track & field in both the 5000m and 10000m.

During last fall’s cross country season, she defended her Mountain West title, becoming the second woman in school history to win back-to-back titles. She finished 22nd at the NCAA Championships, helping the Lobos to a national runner-up finish.

Mazza-Downie was a second-team All-American in the 5,000m during the indoor season, finishing 10th at the NCAA Championship.

She capped her Lobo career during the outdoor season with a pair of top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championship. She earned first-team All-America honors in the 10000m with a fourth place finish at NCAAs, and second-team All-American honors in he 5000m with a ninth place finish at the championship. She was the Mountain West Champion in the 5000m and broke the school record in the 10000m. Also a standout in the classroom, she earned first-team Academic All-American honors.

Mazza-Downie is the third Lobo track & field/cross country runner to be named the Mountain West Female Athlete of the Year, joining Courtney Frerichs in 2015-16 and Weini Kelati in 2019-20. She is the fourth Lobo female to win the award, as golf’s Jodi Ewart was recognized in 2009-10, the first year of the award. New Mexico has had two Mountain West Male Athletes of the Year, DJ Peterson (baseball) in 2012-13 and Josh Kerr (track & field) in 2016-17.