The Florida State College at Jacksonville Athletic Department is proud to announce that the Florida NJCAA Council of Athletic Administrators (CAA) and the Florida College Systems Activities Association (FCSAA) Region VIII; has named the Men's and Women's Cross Country Scholar Athlete of the Year awards after former FSCJ Cross Country Coach Larry Monts.

This prestigious scholar athlete award is given annually to honor those who have exemplified themselves academically, athletically and in service to others. This award is voted on by the cross country coaches statewide after careful consideration of student athlete nominees from across Florida who participated in men's or women's cross country.

Coach Monts was both a coach and professor at FSCJ from 1967 to 2001. Not only did he coach men's and women's cross country at FSCJ, but also men's and women's track and field. He led FSCJ to two National Cross Country Championships and fourteen top ten finishes in the nation. During that time, he coached 43 NJCAA All-Americans. He was also a two-time NJCAA National Coach of the Year and the NJCAA Southeastern Region Coach of the Year eleven times. Coach Monts was inducted into the FCSAA/Region VIII Hall of Fame.

"Coach Monts is, by far, the most decorated cross country coach to come out of the state of Florida's junior college system. It was no surprise when the Florida NJCAA Council of Athletic Administrators chose to name the most prestigious award for a male and a female cross country runner after him," said FSCJ Director of Athletics Ginny Alexander.