FARMINGTON, Utah (December 11, 2019) – Three of Northern Arizona University Athletics' greats – Angela Chalmers, Ron Mann and Lopez Lomong – were officially announced in the inaugural class of the Big Sky Hall of Fame Presented by Jimmy Johns in a release by the league office on Wednesday.
NAU was one of three schools, along with Idaho State and Montana, to place three members in the 2020 Big Sky Hall of Fame Class. A total of 14 former student-athletes, coaches and administrators are honored in the conference's first Hall of Fame class.
The award ceremony will take place on Saturday, March 14 in Boise, Idaho on the final day of the Big Sky Basketball Championships. Tickets to the event will go on sale in early January. The Hall of Fame Class was voted on by a committee of 15 members spanning all 11 full-time Big Sky institutions.
Chalmers (1992), Mann (1999) and Lomong (2013) are all inductees into the NAU Athletics Hall of Fame. All three have been integral members in the rich history of the NAU cross country and track & field programs.
Chalmers was a six-time All-American during her career spanning 1982-87. Chalmers claimed the individual NCAA Cross Country championship in 1986, a year after she placed eighth at the national meet. Her accolades extended into track & field where she placed in the top five nationally on six occasions.
At the 1984 NCAA Indoor Championships, she earned a second-place finish in the 1500m after placing third in the mile at the 1983 meet. She placed fifth in the 1550m at the 1984 NCAA Outdoor Championships and proceeded to finish runner-up in the 3000m in 1985. During the 1987 season, she laced third in the 1500m and fifth in the 3000m.
After her career at NAU concluded, Chalmers was a two-time Olympian representing her home country of Canada at the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics. At the Barcelona games, she captured the bronze medal in the 3000m.
Chalmers ended her career as NAU's indoor record-holder in the 1500m run in addition to three outdoor records in the 800m, 1500m and 3000m.
Mann coached a total of 103 student-athletes, including Chalmers, to All-American honors as the Director of Cross Country and Track & Field programs from 1980-2004. Sixteen Lumberjacks finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships during his tenure.
The legendary coach and USTFCCCA Hall of Fame inductee garnered 56 Big Sky Coach of the Year awards and guided the Lumberjack men's and women's programs to 58 Big Sky team championships across cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field. His 1991 women's cross country team placed third at the NCAA Championships, which at the time was the highest national finish by an NAU women's program.
Mann, 1972 NAU graduate himself, produced at least one Olympian in every summer Games from 1984-2004. He mentored four student-athletes who went on to capture the individual NCAA Championship in their event as well as a pair of Boston Marathon Champions.
In 2008, Mann served as the U.S. Olympic men's middle distance coach at the Beijing Games and was the coach of the 2005 U.S. Men's World Outdoor Championships team that competed in Helsinki, Findland.
Lomong enjoyed a decorated career from 2005-07 in Flagstaff where he was a two-time individual national champion and 12-time individual conference champion. In 2007, he was the indoor 3000m national champion and outdoor 1500m national champion. Among his Big Sky championships were a sweep of the 800m, mile and 3000m events at the 2007 indoor meet where he became one of only four triple champions.
The 2007 season was a highly successful one as he was named the Big Sky Indoor and Outdoor Outstanding Athlete of the Meet and NCAA Mountain Region Male Track Athlete of the Year. That same year in the fall, he placed third at the NCAA Cross Country Championships – an improvement upon his fourth-place national finish in 2006.
Lomong, voted seventh on the Big Sky's 50 greatest athletes in 2013-14, is the conference's all-time outdoor record-holder in the 800m and 1500m. After graduation, Lomong competed at the Beijing Games in 2008 in the 1500m run and the 2012 London Games in the 5000m. He served as the U.S. delegation Opening Ceremony flag bearer at the 2008 Olympic Games.
Lomong won his first career national title when he finished first in the men's 1500m at the 2009 USA Outdoor Championships and he defended his title a year later. In 2018 and 2019, he was the U.S. Track & Field national champion in the 10,000m run. Lomong, the 2012 Visa Humanitarian of the year for establishing the Lopez Lomong Foundation, also competed at the World Championships in 2009 and 2013.
Below is the full 2020 Big Sky Hall of Fame Class.
Jared Allen – Idaho State, Football, 1993-96
Shannon (Cate) Schweyen – Montana, Women's Basketball, 1988-92
Angela Chalmers – Northern Arizona, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, 1982-87
Dave Dickenson – Montana, Football, 1992-95
Stacy Dragila – Idaho State, Women's Track & Field, 1993-96
Jack Friel – Big Sky Conference, Commissioner, 1963-71
John Friesz – Idaho, Football, 1986-89
Milton "Dubby" Holt – Idaho State, Track & Field/Administrator, 1963-79
Damian Lillard – Weber State, Men's Basketball, 2008-12
Lopez Lomong – Northern Arizona, Men's Cross Country/Track & Field, 2005-07
Ron Mann – Northern Arizona, Cross Country/Track & Field Coach, 1980-04
Ellie Rudy – Montana State, Women's Track & Field, 2004-08
Robin Selvig – Montana, Women's Basketball, 1978-2016
Jan Stenerud – Montana State, Football, 1964-66/Skiing, 1962-64
