FARMINGTON, Utah (April 24, 2025) – Three Northern Arizona legends will be forever enshrined come this July. David McNeill, Ida Nilsson and Johanna Nilsson have been voted into the 2025 Big Sky Conference Hall of Fame, as announced by the league office this morning.
All three are decorated long distance runners and will be inducted alongside 10 other athletes and administrators across five Big Sky institutions. They join four other NAU legends in the Big Sky Hall of Fame in Archie Amerson ('23), Angela Chalmers ('21), Lopez Lomong ('21) and Ron Mann ('21).
The ceremony will be held on Saturday, July 19 in Spokane, Wash., at Northern Quest Resort and Casino as a part of the Big Sky Conference Football Kickoff. Registration and ticket info, along with the full 2025 induction class and eligibility criteria is below.
Between Johanna and Ida, they won a total of six national titles, 19 All-American awards, 11 Big Sky indoor championships and 12 outdoor championships. Ida was named third on the Big Sky's list of "25 Greatest Female Athletes" and Johanna was named second. Ida was inducted into the NAU Hall of Fame in 2010, and Johanna followed in 2011. In 2002 and 2003, Ida won the Big Sky Cross Country individual title, with Johanna finishing second both years.
McNeill was a two-time NCAA Champion, earned nine All-America honors, and competed in nine NCAA Championships. He ranks 10
th on the Big Sky's list of 25 Greatest Female Athletes.
Johanna Nilsson | Women's Track & Field/Cross Country | 2002-06
A native of Kalmar, Sweden, Johanna Nilsson was a distance runner for Northern Arizona from 2002-06. During her time, she claimed four NCAA National Championships including the 2003 indoor 1,500-meter championship, the 2005 NCAA Cross Country Individual title, and the 2006 indoor mile and 3,000-meters. She was the second cross country national champion behind fellow Hall of Famer, Angela Chalmers (1986). She was the 2006 NCAA Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year.
In 2006, she won the mile at the indoor NCAA Championships by 30 seconds before returning to the track 90 minutes later to win the 3,000-meters by four seconds. She is the only Big Sky athlete to win both races at the indoor NCAA Championships and win two events in the same year.
On a conference level, she won nine Big Sky Championships and when she left NAU, she held four school records – three of which were conference records. She still ranks third indoors in the mile (4:32.49), ninth in the 3,000-meters (9:06.61) and third in the distance medley relay (11:17.97). Her mile record and DMR record stood until the 2024 season. Outdoors, she ranks fifth at NAU in the 800-meters (2:05.43) and second in the 1,500-meters (4:10.72). Her 1,500-meter record stood until 2024.
After finishing runner-up behind her sister Ida at the 2002 Big Sky Cross Country Championships, Johanna went on to place sixth at the Mountain Regional and 12
th at her first NCAA Championship. Later that indoor season, she won both the mile and 800 at the Big Sky Championships, setting the all-time league record in the mile and 1,500-meters that season. She continued her success into the outdoor season, winning the 800-meters and the 1,500-meters – setting the record in the 1,500-meters.
Ida Nilsson | Women's Track & Field, Cross Country | 2001-05
Hailing from Kalmar, Sweeden, Ida Nilsson was a member of the cross country and track and field teams from 2001-05. From 2001-04, she never lost a Big Sky individual title.
She was a two-time national champion, winning the outdoor 3,000-meter steeplechase in 2004 and the indoor 5,000-meters in 2005. During her time at NAU, she earned 11 All-America honors and became the first female in Big Sky history to win four straight conference cross country individual titles.
In total, she won 15 Big Sky titles – six indoors, five outdoors and four in cross country. When she left Northern Arizona, she owned three school records. To this day, she still ranks 10
th indoors in the 3,000-meters, eighth indoors in the 5,000-meters, second outdoors in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and fifth outdoors in the 5,000-meters. Her steeplechase and outdoor 5,000-meters school record stood until the 2024 season.
Ida placed 12
th at the 2001 NCAA Cross Country Championships, eighth in 2002 and ninth in 2003. She was also runner-up in the steeplechase at the 2002 and 2003 NCAA Championships, finally winning the event in 2004.
David McNeill | Men's Track & Field, Cross Country | 2007-10
David McNeill is a native of Melbourne, Australia. He competed on the cross country and track and field teams from 2007-10. During his time, he raced in nine NCAA Championships where he won two titles (indoor 5k and outdoor 5k in 2010) and finished runner-up twice. In total, he earned nine All-America honors.
He was a three-time Big Sky Cross Country individual champion, finishing runner-up in 2007 to fellow Hall of Famer and Olympian, Lopez Lomong. He repeated as champion in 2008, 2009 and 2010. He earned 10
th, 15
th and runner-up finishes at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
On the track, he placed eighth in the 3,000-meters at the 2008 indoor national championships and fourth in the 5,000-meters. When he left NAU, he owned the second-fastest 3,000-meter time in Big Sky history.
McNeill is a three-time Olympian, competing for his home country of Australia in 2012, 2016 and 2020.
He still ranks seventh indoors in the distance medley relay at NAU, and eighth in the 5,000-meters outdoors.
2025 Big Sky Conference Hall of Fame Class
Cass Bauer-Bilodeau, Women's Basketball, Montana State
Charles "Chip" Dunn, Football, Portland State
Tim Hauck, Football, Montana
David McNeill, Men's Cross Country/Track and Field, Northern Arizona
Ida Nilsson, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, Northern Arizona
Johanna Nilsson, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field, Northern Arizona
Doug Nussmeier, Football, Idaho
Dan O'Brien, Men's Track and Field, Idaho
Naseby Rhinehart, Athletic Trainer, Montana
Arnie Sgalio, Administrator, Big Sky Conference/Montana State
About the Big Sky Hall of Fame
Tickets for the gala, which sold out the past two years after reaching full capacity, can be purchased at
BigSkyConf.com/HOF. Each ticket is $85, plus fees, which includes admission to the gala, a commemorative poster, and a meal. Purchasers will get to choose from among three options for their meal.
Hall of Fame Eligibility Criteria
- An alumnus/alumna is eligible only if he/she has participated in two (2) full seasons of competition at a Big Sky member institution and should have made outstanding contributions or offered extraordinary service to athletics at the institutional, conference and national level.
- An alumnus/alumna is eligible at any time beginning five (5) years after completing their collegiate eligibility.
- Coaches who have made outstanding contributions or offered extraordinary service to Big Sky athletics shall be eligible for recognition into the Hall of Fame after service of five (5) full years.
- Coaches must have completed their tenure as coach or have been out of the conference for at least five (5) years.
- Administrators who have made outstanding contributions or offered extraordinary service to Big Sky athletics shall be eligible for recognition into the Hall of Fame after service of three (3) full years and are immediately eligible.
The 2025 Hall of Fame class was selected by a committee of 14 members, which included representative from all 10 full-time Big Sky institutions, as well as an additional Athletic Director, Senior Women's Administrator, a conference office representative, and an at-large committee member among the group of 14 voters.
