Eric Heins' distinguished coaching career at NAU began in 2007 when he was hired as the head cross country coach and he immediately led the Lumberjacks to a historic performance at the NCAA Cross Country Championships that fall. Guiding the men to a fourth-place finish and the women to a seventh-place finish, it marked the first time both programs placed in the top eight nationally in the NAU's storied history. Heins' success was just getting started as he was later promoted to Director of Track & Field and Cross Country in 2010, and ultimately led the Lumberjack cross country and track & field programs to a combined 28 Big Sky Conference Championships during his tenure. His career was capped by leading the NAU men to the school's first-ever team National Championship in 2016, starting the program's current run of five national titles in the last six years. As a result, Heins was named the 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year and in all, he earned 27 Big Sky Coach of the Year awards. His cross country squads notched nine top 10 national team finishes, and he coached 64 individual conference champions and 25 athletes to a combined 55 All-American honors across all disciplines as the program's Director. Four of his distance runners would compete at the Summer Olympics, including David McNeill who swept the individual indoor and outdoor 5K national titles in 2010. Heins also served as an assistant coach from 2001-03 under fellow NAU Hall of Famer Ron Mann during his first stint in Flagstaff.