For the first time since 2018, Flagstaff had the honor of hosting the indoor track and field Big Sky Conference championship meet last weekend. Despite the NAU men鈥檚 team having won the previous 12 team titles and the women鈥檚 team having won the previous four team titles, both teams expected it to be a close matchup with Montana State and other conference rivals.
If you were in attendance at the Walkup Skydome during the Friday and Saturday events, you witnessed the Lumberjacks run, jump and throw for much more than individual prestige. Every place and every point mattered for the team score, and athletes across all specialties battled for team glory.
When the last points were scored, NAU proved dominant on both sides. The men鈥檚 team won with 188 points (Montana State in second with 148 points, and Montana in third with 69 points) and the women鈥檚 team won with a total of 205 points (besting Montana State with 132.5 points, and Sacramento State in third with 78 points).
Graduate student Drew Bosley brought home the meet鈥檚 Most Valuable Athlete award for the men, and senior LiNay Perry brought home the award for the women. Kiki Vaughn was awarded Freshman of the Year for the women. And a unique achievement award was bestowed to Lumberjacks director and head coach Mike Smith by the Big Sky commissioner for achieving one of the most storied coaching careers in conference history.
Smith, who is in his ninth year of coaching at NAU and, prior to this championship, has won an impressive 38 Big Sky Coach of the Year awards, will be ending his NCAA coaching career at the conclusion of this outdoor track season to pursue a full-time career as a professional running coach. He鈥檚 had an amazing impact at NAU, the Big Sky and in the NCAA that is hard to capture in words, and one I felt lucky to have witnessed for the past seven years.
Having walked on the NAU cross country and track teams back in 2018, graduating from the university in 2022 and then becoming a member of the coaching staff as the director of operations, I鈥檝e gotten to experience firsthand just how special this program is from both an athlete and from a staff member experience. Conducting ourselves with intention and creating a culture we feel proud to be a part of, finding joy in pushing our personal limits, striving to be our best and to bring out the best in others, prioritizing process over outcome, and knowing each member is a valuable part of the team are a few of the pillars that has made our program successful in more ways than one.
Watching all our athletes do a victory lap in our own Skydome with huge smiles on their faces and fans cheering them on is something I won鈥檛 forget. Tired and proud was a collective feeling from the athletes and coaches when leaving the Skydome after this year鈥檚 indoor championships. And, per usual, fired up for what鈥檚 ahead!