Northern Arizona University Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Michael Smith announced the newest addition to his coaching staff in Sadie Baker in August of 2024. The 2024-25 seasons will be her first on staff. Baker comes to Flagstaff after a decorated career as a student-athlete and assistant coach at Adams State, a Division II national powerhouse in Alamosa, Colo., and will serve as NAU’s Assistant Coach for Men’s and Women’s Distance.
 
Baker spent six seasons on staff with the Grizzlies as the Director of Operations and Assistant/Recruiting Coordinator/Cross Country and Track and Field coach. Baker’s winning ways will translate exceptionally within NAU’s program, as she brings a high-caliber coaching resume that includes five national titles with her to Flagstaff.
 
“I'm thrilled to announce the hire of Sadie Baker to the NAU Cross Country and Track and Field family as an assistant coach for our distance program,” said Smith. “This was a crucial hire for our program, and we sought after a coach that was the right fit for NAU. Coach Baker’s experience stood out as a trusted leader under legendary Coach Damon Martin’s dominant National Championship Division II team, Adams State. This program holds many similarities to NAU, from their altitude location, a decades long tradition of executing at the highest level, and a tradition of graduating decorated, successful student athletes.”
 
No stranger to the national stage during her time on staff, Baker was a part of five Division II national championships for women’s indoor track (2023, 2024) and women’s cross country (2019, 2021, 2022). She also helped coach the Grizzlies to runner-up finishes in women’s cross country (2023), men’s indoor track (2023), and men’s cross country (2019, 2021). Additionally, Baker has helped coach over 100 student-athletes to All-American status.
 
Behind the scenes, Baker was instrumental in helping recruit both domestic and international student-athletes to Adams State. Baker also managed budgets, coordinated travel, and hosted home cross country and track and field meets that drew in over 2,000 spectators and 500 athletes. From December of 2020 to August of 2021, Baker served as the athletic department’s business manager where she oversaw the business and travel operations for all athletic programs.
 
As a student-athlete, she won a team national title for cross country in 2017, finishing second in 2018. Baker was a three-time NCAA qualifier in the 5,000 and 10,000-meters and won five cross country conference team championships plus four in indoor track and two in outdoor track. She earned second-team All-Conference honors in both cross country and outdoor track and field while with the Grizzlies.
 
Baker is a two-time Adams State graduate, earning her Bachelors of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in photography and design in 2019 and her Master of Arts in Business Administration with an emphasis is leadership and management in 2024.