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FLAGSTAFF, ARIZ. (September 13, 2019) - Northern Arizona University celebrated the members of the 2019 Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Class on Friday evening at the High Country Conference Center in Flagstaff.
The special event was attended by a large contingent of NAU alumni, former student athletes, current and former members of the athletic department as well as other supporters of the university as they joined to honor and remember the storied careers of the inductees, each of which will be forever honored among an exclusive group of athletes that personify what it is to be a Lumberjack.
The 2019 NAU Enshrinement Class will also be honored at halftime of Saturday's NAU football game vs. Western New Mexico, which is slated for a 4 p.m. MST kickoff at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome.
Three individuals and one team enter the NAU Athletics Hall of Fame in the 2019 class, with their impacts spanning five decades.
Along with former Northern Arizona running back Zach Bauman, former volleyball player Maggie Barrera, former ice hockey head coach Gerald Caple and the 2003 men's cross country team joined the nearly 200 others since the Hall of Fame's establishment in 1981.
2003 CROSS COUNTRY TEAM
Long before the Northern Arizona University cross country program won three consecutive NCAA men's national championships, it recorded multiple podium finished under Ron Mann.
Mann, already a member of the NAU Athletics Hall of Fame after being inducted for his in 1999, helped put Northern Arizona's distance running on the map both as a runner and a coach across three decades.
"It's a journey isn't it? It started back with our team in 1971 was ninth that I was on," Mann said of Northern Arizona's multiple shots at a national title. "And then when I came back in 1988, we got a second. You had it in the 80s, the 90s and the early 2000s. You look at the 2010s, those hits became more and more close together."
In 2003, Travis Laird won the Big Sky Conference individual title with a 25:24 run on the 8,000-meter course in Flagstaff as the Lumberjacks scored 25 points as a team. Mann earned the Big Sky Conference's coach of the year award following the title, the fifth time he received the award in a six-year stretch.
Finishing second as a team at the 2003 NCAA Mountain Regional, Laird placed 14th at the meet with Henrik Ahnstrom sixth and Andy Weilacher in 13th. Laird went on to take 21st (30:01.3) in the nation at the NCAA meet, while Ahnstrom finished 10th (29:41.6), teammate Seth Watkins took 36th (30:14.0) and Weilacher took 43rd (30:19.9).
As Northern Arizona placed third in the nation, the four Lumberjacks earned All-American honors at the 2003 meet in Iowa, tying the program's record at the time for All-Americans in a single season. Laird finished 86th at the NCAA meet in 2002 and Ahnstrom took 89th, with both making significant improvements to help lead the program to a podium finish.
"They really matured between that 2002 year," Mann said. "They saw what they were capable of doing and really made a plan together to really say 'Ok, we are going to do this and we can really put this together and potentially win a national championship.' The group really made a commitment over the summer time to really make a run at a national championship."
In total, Laird earned Big Sky MVP, NCAA Mountain All-Region and NCAA All-America honors during the 2003 season.
Shilo Mielke, Taylor Beckley and Mint Henk also competed at the 2003 NCAA meet. The top three finish was the third of its kind for Northern Arizona, with Mann also coaching the 1988 and 1995 men's cross country teams to second-place finishes in the nation.
"That has always been the mantra of Northern Arizona University, it's we are going to do it better than anybody else does," Mann said. "It's a lifestyle and that lifestyle starts not with this year's team, not with last year's team, but you go back and it goes back to all of the stair steps."
GERALD CAPLE – ICE HOCKEY
Northern Arizona's five-year run as an NCAA Division I hockey program would not have been possible if not for Gerald Caple. A chemistry professor at the school, Caple established the club hockey team in 1971 as Flagstaff opened an ice rink at what is now called Jay Lively Activity Center.
Caple said the program's creation really began as players on the ice with him had a desire to play other groups rather than amongst themselves.
"Since many of the players were NAU students, I told them if they formed a club I would try and arrange games for them," Caple said. "Thus almost by default, I became the faculty advisor. President (J. Lawrence) Walkup wanted hockey, most of the other administrators did not. The student body said we could form a club if we could show there were other hockey clubs we could play."
Caple said he first found a club team in Colorado to play, followed by others in the Los Angeles and San Diego area, allowing the group to form the first club. While the work to plan games without an organized league proved to be tough, Caple said the student body and President Walkup's support helped keep the program moving forward.
After moving into the Walkup Skydome in 1977, the success of the program led to its NCAA Division I status starting in 1981 with the program playing as an independent, as well as one season in the short-lived Great West Hockey Conference. During the team's run as an NCAA program, a pair of future NHL players, Greg Adams and Bob Beers spent time as Lumberjacks.
"It was a case of one thing leading to another," Caple said of the program's growth. "My compliments to the players, they encouraged me to arrange the best games possible."
While the NCAA program came to an end in 1986 after the ice system in the Skydome failed, it returned as a club sport in 1991. The American Collegiate Hockey Association inducted Caple into its hall of fame in 2018 for his involvement in building collegiate hockey in Flagstaff.
MAGGIE BARRERA - VOLLEYBALL
Nearly two decades after her four-year career at Northern Arizona came to an end, Maggie Barrera's name still stands among many of the program's all-time bests.
Still ranking third all-time in kills (1,406), second in kill average (3.62), tied for ninth in total blocks (323) and ninth in service aces (108), Barrera's numbers have held up despite the change in scoring that came just before her senior season.
For the first three years of Barrera's career, the NCAA used sideout scoring for matches with 15 points winning a set. In 2001, rally scoring was adopted with sets running until 30 before the rule changed again dropping it to the current total of 25 in 2008.
Barrera's four-year run also coincided with Northern Arizona's program putting together a run of strong seasons. After finishing at or below .500 for four seasons from 1993 to 1996, the program won 19 matches in 1997.
From there, the Lumberjacks remained well above .500 in all four years with Barrera, a streak that came to an end in 2002.
"Honestly, I didn't know what to expect when I arrived at NAU," Barrera said. "I was nervous. Practices were hard and intense. Our coaches were doing what every other coach out there was trying to do, and that was to try and build a championship team."
After an 18-11 record in 1998, the Lumberjacks earned their first Big Sky Conference tournament title in 1999 as Barrera led the way at the net. Finishing as the team's leader in kills, kill average, solo blocks, block assists and total blocks in 1999, Barrera led her team to the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history.
"I was hopeful because I knew we had some of the strongest competitors in the conference," Barrera said. "When coaches and players are like-minded and you have a common goal... sometimes, just sometimes, things happen."
Barrera earned the conference's tournament MVP as the Lumberjacks bounced back from three straight losses to Eastern Washington, Sacramento State and Weber State to win three straight for the conference title. After beating Montana and Eastern Washington in four sets, Northern Arizona topped Cal State Northridge 3-15, 15-8, 7-15, 15-10, 15-11 to earn an NCAA berth.
"No one goes into a game wanting to lose, let alone at the conference tournament," Barrera said. "I knew what was at stake and I wanted to do everything I could to help my team make it to the next level. Everyone wants to be part of the Big Dance and I gave 110% of myself to make sure we got there."
Barrera finished with 12 kills and 14 digs in Northern Arizona's NCAA match against No. 23 North Carolina. Barrera went on to lead the team in kills and kill average again in 2000 and 2001, as well as leading in service aces and service ave average in the final two years of her career.
The Lumberjacks finished as regular season co-Big Sky Conference champions in 2000 with an 18-7 overall record and 12-4 conference mark. Barrera earned the regular season conference MVP and All-Big Sky Conference First Team honors, the second of three total awards in her career.
ZACH BAUMAN - FOOTBALL
It took only three carries for Zach Bauman to score the first of what would be 46 career rushing touchdowns for the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks.
Debuting against Western New Mexico, the same opponent Northern Arizona faces as Bauman is inducted into the NAU Athletics Hall of Fame, the then true freshman running back immediately made an impact on the field.
Bauman opened his first career game with a 10-yard touchdown on the game's first drive before closing it out with a 66-yard score late in the third quarter. In total, Bauman rushed for 167 yards on 22 carries, four of which ended in the end zone of a 48-0 victory.
Across 45 career games, Bauman rushed for 5,132 yards on 1,003 carries spanning the 2010-13 seasons. The two totals, both first in school history for their respective categories, stand well ahead of second place. Marcus King, who played for the Lumberjacks from 1998 to 2001, is second with 3,794 yards and 720 carries. The 1,338 yards and 283 carries behind is more than a season's average for Bauman behind his records.
KEY FROM THE START
With those four touchdowns in his debut, Bauman immediately knew belonged.
"Probably after the game," Bauman said of when he felt it internally. "In the middle of the game, it moves so fast, you're just trying to gain yards. But after you have a performance like that, you kind of look in the mirror and accept that you do belong here."
Bauman cemented his place at the center of Northern Arizona's offense following the debut against Western New Mexico, despite entering the program with little fanfare.
Recruited lightly out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, Bauman rushed for 1,178 yards and 25 touchdowns on just 143 carries as a senior, adding another 508 yards through the air and five receiving touchdowns. The Huskies finished 14-0 and won the 5A state title in 2009, the second high school championship for Bauman after also winning the 5A crown in 2008 as a junior.
Northern Arizona signed two other running backs in the 2010 recruiting class along with Bauman, who came out of Hamilton's seemingly endless run of FBS signees.
"Not in like a cocky way, but I thought I'd be very successful coming from Hamilton," Bauman said of the career he would go on to have at Northern Arizona. "You get an opportunity and you kind of need to make the best of it."
Bauman finished his first season with 1,059 rushing yards, with another 308 receiving, while scoring 16 total touchdowns. Another 100-yard game followed soon after the first, with Bauman rushing for 112 yards at Idaho State after finishing with 56 against Arizona State in the second game of his freshman season.
A CONSTANT ON OFFENSE
While Michael Herrick and Chasen Stangel ran the offense his freshman year, Bauman remained the one consistent factor of Northern Arizona's offense throughout his four-year run. Cary Grossart took over the starting job in Bauman's sophomore year and remained the starter through 2012, with Kyren Poe and Chase Cartwright splitting the job in 2013.
Northern Arizona struggled on the field in 2011, finishing 4-7 and 3-5 in the Big Sky Conference, but Bauman took another step forward. Finishing with 1,435 yards and 15 touchdowns on 271 carries, Bauman earned the first of three All-Big Sky Conference First Team honors.
Finally in 2012, Northern Arizona took advantage of the game-changer in its backfield as the Lumberjacks put together an 8-3 season, finishing 6-2 in the Big Sky. While a pair of late-season losses spoiled Northern Arizona's pursuit of a FCS playoff bid, Bauman's junior season included two of the biggest victories in program history.
One week after suffering a 63-6 loss at Arizona State, in which both Bauman and Grossart left with injuries, the Lumberjacks knocked off UNLV for its first FBS win since 1987. Bauman finished the game with 103 yards on 20 carries, but his final two carries served as a pair of the night's most critical plays. Facing a third-and-1 at the UNLV 8 midway through the fourth quarter, Bauman punched in a touchdown to tie the score at 14-14.
After neither side put points on the board through the next seven minutes of play, Bauman opened the go-ahead drive with a 25-yard run from Northern Arizona's own 14. Four plays later after a personal foul and a 30-yard reception by Ify Umodu, Andy Wilder connected on a 33-yard field goal to take a 17-14 lead with 12 seconds remaining.
Two weeks later, Bauman carried the Lumberjacks to another monumental upset.
Having lost 14 straight games to Montana, and being held without a win in Missoula since 1986, the Lumberjacks knocked off the Grizzlies 41-31 thanks to 253 yards and three touchdowns by Bauman.
Breaking off a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage, Bauman tormented Montana throughout the afternoon while the Lumberjacks' offense managed just 138 yards through the air.
"To crack open the game like that, that was just huge," Bauman said.
However, Bauman also closed out the game just as strongly as he started it. Rushing for 108 yards on 10 carries in the fourth quarter, including a 57-yard run, Bauman punched in touchdown runs of 20 and 2 yards to put the game out of reach.
"I mean that's what I trained for, I loved to be the one to close out every game really," Bauman said. "Obviously team first, I am just trying to get the win, but if the ball comes to me I've got to come through."
The dramatic victories extended into Bauman's senior season as Northern Arizona finished 2013 at 9-3, including a 7-1 Big Sky record, and earned the program's first FCS playoff berth since 2003.
Sitting at 3-2, including a home victory against Montana in which Bauman rushed for a pair of first-quarter touchdowns, Northern Arizona found itself behind 38-21 at Sacramento State.
With 9:23 left in the third quarter, the Lumberjacks rattled off 18 unanswered points to come away with a 39-38 victory. Bauman rushed for 108 yards on his final eight carries of the game during the comeback, including a 42-yard carry and a 25-yard touchdown run on the second play of a drive following an interception by Northern Arizona's defense.
"That's kind of like when you are a little kid counting down 3, 2, 1 with the buzzer-beater," said Bauman, who finished the game with 27 carries for 197 yards and two touchdowns. "You live for those big moments on the biggest stage."
Northern Arizona closed out another comeback in the 2013 regular season finale, coming from behind after falling behind 10-0 at Southern Utah. Fighting snowstorm and slick field, Bauman struggled to get much going, though the Lumberjacks leaned on him throughout the game.
"That was a horrible game, I didn't do anything I wanted to do," Bauman said. "I remember it was just hard to cut and hard to sprint. You just had to gain whatever yards were there. There weren't too many big runs in that game."
Bauman finished his final regular season game with just 93 yards on 35 carries as Northern Arizona outgained Southern Utah 254-195.
A PLACE IN HISTORY
While Bauman's Northern Arizona career came to an end with a 26-7 loss to South Dakota State in the first round of the FCS playoffs, the running back scored the team's lone touchdown in the game and finished with 101 yards on 22 carries.
The game was the 25th and final 100-yard performance for Bauman, who ended his college career with four 1,000-yard seasons. At the time of his graduation, Bauman was one of just nine FCS players to rush for 1,000 yards in four different seasons.
While his rushing totals top Northern Arizona's charts, they also rank near the top of the Big Sky. Bauman remains third all time in rushing yards in the Big Sky Conference and sits seventh in all-purpose yards thanks to more than 1,000 receiving yards in his four years.
Along with the 25 100-yard games, Bauman also broke 200 yards on four occasions. As a sophomore, Bauman rushed for 219 yards at home against Idaho State and 246 on the road at Sacramento State.
The 253 yards in the upset of Montana in 2012 stood as a career high until Bauman once again torched the Bengals at home. Finishing with 266 yards on 28 carries in a 39-30 victory, Bauman set a career high while scoring three touchdowns in one of his final games at the Walkup Skydome.
