FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (April 18, 2024) – Student-athletes, head coaches, and staff gathered on Tuesday evening to celebrate the Northern Arizona Athletic Department's academic success. The 46
th annual Golden Eagle Awards, presented by Ginny L. Clements, were highlighted by women's basketball's
Emily Rodabaugh and cross country, track and field's
Drew Bosley and
Nico Young as they earned the evening's top honors as the department's top scholar-athletes. A total of 228 student-athletes across all 15 sports were honored.
The Golden Eagle Awards was first presented in the spring of 1979 as a way of honoring student-athletes who maintained high levels of scholastic achievement while performing with distinction in the university's athletic programs. All Lumberjacks holding a minimum of a 3.00 cumulative grade point average or better are eligible for the award, presented to student-athletes who have made significant contributions in athletics as well as in the classroom.
Rodabaugh just concluded her fifth-year with the NAU women's basketball team. Already earning two undergraduate degrees during her time, the Lynnwood, Wash., native boasts a perfect 4.0 while working towards her Master's in leadership in criminal justice administration. She is a four-time Golden Eagle Scholar along with a five-time member of the Big Sky All-Academic team.
Athletically, Rodabaugh earned an honorable mention All-Big Sky nod this season, starting in 33 out of 34 games to average 10.5 points per game. Rodabaugh is sixth on NAU's all-time scoring list with 1,357 career points and is the all-time leader in career three-pointers made and attempted.
Bosley, a five-time Golden Eagle Scholar-Athlete, earned his undergraduate degree in journalism and has a perfect 4.0 GPA while working towards his Master's degree in educational foundations.
The Thiensville, Wisc., native competed in both the 3K and the 5K at the NCAA Indoor National Championships last season. He finished second in the 3K and third in the 5K, earning first-team All-American honors in both events. At the John Thomas Terrier Classic, he set a school, conference, and collegiate record in the 3K after running a time of 7:36.42. Bosley was the Big Sky champion in the 3K and the 5K during the 20223-23 indoor season. He competed in two meets during the outdoor season, setting a personal best in the 10K at the Stanford Invitational with a time of 28:18.02. At the 2023 NCAA Cross Country National Championships, Drew finished fifth to earn All American honors and help push the team to a second-place finish.
Young is a four-time Golden Eagle Scholar Athlete who currently owns a 3.9 GPA as a health science, nutrition, and foods major.
Outside of the classroom, Young had a historic year, beginning with an outstanding cross country season. He finished second at the Nuttycombe Invitational to help cement the team's spot at the top of the national rankings. Young took the Big Sky Cross Country individual title before going on to place second at the NCAA Mountain Regional. He placed sixth at the NCAA National Championships to help the men's team place second. Young took things to a new level during the indoor track season, beginning with a first-place finish in the 3,000-meter in his first race if the season. His time is the fourth fastest in collegiate history. In his first home meet of the season, Young ran the first sub-four minute mile at 7,000 feet ever. Just two weeks after that, he competed at the John Thomas Terrier Classic, running a collegiate 5,000-meter record and becoming the first collegiate athlete to run a sub-13 minute 5K. Young was a member of the Distance Medley Relay team which ran the third fastest time in collegiate history. He later won the mile at the Big Sky Championships and placed third in the 800-meter. Young competed in the 3K and the 5K at the NCAA National Championships, taking the individual title in both to become a two-time national champion. His 3K time was also a meet record.
