By Lisa Campos, vice president for Intercollegiate Athletics
If you’ve had your eyes on NAU athletics for a while, you could see this one coming.
The renewed enthusiasm and commitment of NAU athletics staff, student athletes and fans should be no surprise to anyone. After all, the formula was pretty simple: set high standards, commit the proper resources and work hard.
Simple, but not easy. A lot of people have contributed to the “work hard” category. From President Haeger to all corners of campus, everyone involved with our athletics program—including supporters and fans in the community—deserves credit and thanks for our resurgence.
Momentum is great and right now we have our share of it. Our athletes and coaches have given it their all. The athletics department has done its best to make games fun and affordable. And our fans have responded with energy and optimism.
But there’s more work to be done, on and off the field.
As our football team prepares for one of its biggest games in years, our volleyball team enters postseason play and our men’s and women’s basketball teams take shape through their early-season schedules, it’s good to be reminded that success is a long-term commitment that includes all of our sports. Just take a look at men’s cross country, fresh off a Big Sky Championship that extends a tradition of outstanding results.
We’re still making new connections in the community, still learning new ways to enhance the game experience, still striving to build performance into our teams while maintaining a high level of academic integrity.
This is a work in progress but so far the results are no less than amazing.
So let’s keep this going. Don’t just wait for the results—make them happen. In your own way, as much as you can, join in the next leg and make this a long run of NAU athletics success.