Becca Pflugrad is in her sixth year as an Assistant Coach with a focus on distance and mid-distance after joining the NAU Track & Field and Cross Country coaching staff in 2017.
 
The 2024 outdoor season started off just as strong as the indoor season, with Ali Upshaw breaking the women’s NAU 10K record after running a time of 32:53.65. Madeline Wilson broke the NAU record in the 200-meter as well, running a time of 22.98.
 
The NAU women placed first at the Big Sky Conference Championships, with five distance athletes earning individual titles.
 
12 athletes competed at the NCAA West Regional, with five moving on to the national meet. Maggi Congdon broke a school and conference record in the first round of the 1,500-meter with a time of 4:07.81, placing ninth in the finals to earn second-team honors.
 
Karrie Baloga finished as a first-team All-American in the 3K steeplechase, running a time of 9:42.22 to break the U20 American record as well as the NAU school record after finishing eighth in the event.
 
Ali Upshaw placed 21^st in the 10K to earn second-team All-American honors, while Annika Reiss and Gracelyn Larkin both earned second-team honors in the 5K after finishing ninth and 10^th. Reiss’ time of 15:30.64 set a new NAU and Big Sky record in the event.
 
Pflugrad’s women’s distance runners saw a historic 2023-24 indoor season, with numerous records falling throughout the season.
 
Maggi Congdon had an impressive seasons a she each broke the NAU and Big Sky 800-meter and mile records.
 
Alyson Churchill also broke the school and conference record in the 3K.
 
At the Big Sky Championships, the men’s and women’s teams swept the conference, with the women’s team totaling the highest score in conference championships history. The women’s distance athletes won a total of five individual titles, with two athletes going on to compete at the NCAA National Championship meet.
 
Maggi Congdon competed in the mile and the 800-meter, placing eighth in the 800-meter to earn first-team All-American honors and ninth in the mile to earn second-team honors.
 
Gracelyn Larkin finished 15^th in the 5K to earn second-team honors.
 
Pflugrad helped to coach the NAU women to their best season in school history during the 2023 cross country season. The women saw their highest ranking ever as they were ranked first in the nation in weeks four through six. The team took home both the Big Sky and Mountain Region titles, with Elise Stearns taking the individual Big Sky title and Gracelyn Larkin taking the individual Mountain Region title. Larkin was later named the USTFCCCA Mountain Region Women’s Athlete of the Year.
 
At the NCAA National Championships, the women scored 124 points to place second behind NC State. Gracelyn Larkin was the top finisher for the women, placing 13^th with a time of 19:35.6. Annika Reiss finished 15^th with a time of 19:36.8. Elise Stearns was the final NAU woman to earn All-American honors, placing 20^th with a time of 19:52.2.
 
The 2023 outdoor season proved to be just as strong as the indoor season for Pflugrad’s distance runners. The teams swept the Big Sky Outdoor Conference Championship once again, with the women’s distance group earning two individual titles. Pflugrad saw a total of five athletes qualify for the NCAA West Regional.
 
Pflugrad’s distance women began the 2022-23 indoor season in a big way as Elise Stearns broke the NAU and Big Sky record in the 5K at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener with a time of 15:33.74.
 
As they began the postseason, the Lumberjacks showed no signs of slowing down, taking the Big Sky indoor title while scoring the most points in conference championship history. The women’s distance group saw athletes earn 3 individual Big Sky titles, with two athletes advancing to the NCAA National Championship.
 
Elise Stearns finished 11^th in the 5K to earn second-team All-American honors, while Annika Reiss placed eighth in the mile to earn first-team honors.
 
The Lumberjack women saw a successful year in 2022, earning their highest national ranking ever at the time as they ranked fourth in the country in weeks three through six. The women easily took the Big Sky title with a score of 22 points and Elise Stearns took the individual title with a 6K time of 16:25.3. At the Mountain Regional the women tied for second before ultimately placing third after a tiebreaker and earned a trip to the national meet.
 
At the NCAA National Championships, the women placed sixth with a team score of 257 points. Elise Stearns placed fourth with a time of 19:43.9 to earn All-American honors, while Annika Reiss finished 47^th with a time of 20:16.0. Jesselyn Bries (20:24.1) placed 67^th, while Bryn Morley (20:36.6) finished 95^th and Alexis Kebbe (20:37.2) placed 99^th.

Pflugrad helped to lead the women’s track & field team back to the Big Sky Championships in a big way in 2022. The women claimed victory at both the indoor and outdoor Big Sky Championships for the first time since 2018. Pflugrad also saw distance runner Jessa Hanson earn All-America second-team honors in the 10,000-meter.
 
Despite the 2021 Big Sky Indoor Track & Field Championships being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NAU had a strong showing at the outdoor championships. Pflugrad helped lead the women’s team to a Big Sky Championship, while one of her distance runners, Jessa Hanson, was given All-America honors at the conclusion of the season. The 2021 Big Sky Cross Country Championships also ended in victory for the Lumberjack women.
 
The 2020 Big Sky Indoor Track & Field Championships came with a narrow victory for the women’s team, but the outdoor season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Big Sky Outdoor Championships were canceled as well as both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. The Big Sky Championships returned later that year for the cross country season, in which the NAU women took home the trophy.
 
The women’s cross country team regained their place atop the competition at the 2019 Big Sky Championships, after placing second the year before. Four of Pflugrad’s runners placed within the top-10, including one second-place finish from Mikayla Malaspina.
 
Pflugrad helped assist the 2018 track & field team to a sweep of the Big Sky Championships, with the women’s team winning at both the indoor and outdoor competitions. She also saw two athletes be named All-American during the 2018 track & field season. Ashley Taylor earned first-team honors in the 800-meter in both indoor and outdoor, while Paige Gilchrist earned second-team honors in the 5000-meter.
 
Pflugrad helped to coach Ashley Taylor, who in 2018 took home the bronze medal at the Athletics Ontario Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Taylor ran the outdoor 800-meter in 2:02.99 to set a new personal best.
 
In her first year with the program, Pflugrad helped to lead the track & field team to two Big Sky titles in the women’s indoor and outdoor. Between the two competitions, Pflugrad’s distance runners earned three individual championships. Paige Gilchrist earned first place honors in both the mile and 3000-meter at indoors, while Maggie Caruth earned the 800-meter title at the outdoor championships. The women’s cross country team also won big at the Big Sky Championships later that fall and sent one runner, Paige Gilchirst, to the NCAA Championships.
 
Prior to arriving in Flagstaff, Pflugrad had a variety of experiences working in both collegiate athletics and the sports industry. Most recently, she was the Assistant Director of Student Athlete Leadership and Development at Georgetown. During this time she also founded and coached at Capitol City Conditioning (C3), a fitness and training company targeting youth in the DC area.
 
Before working at Georgetown, Pflugrad was the Athlete Services Coordinator at Hypo2 Sport, a high performance training center which services over 200 athletes representing over 30 countries at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
 
Pflugrad attended Georgetown University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 2014. She remained there to pursue a master’s degree in Sports Industry Management, graduating in 2016 and being awarded Georgetown’s Academic Excellence and Student Achievement Award.
 
A Big East Conference Champion and NCAA Indoor National Championships qualifier in the 800-meter, Pflugrad earned All-America honors in the 800-meter and Distance Medley Relay.