Coconino News

Theo Quax and Lauren Orndoff have been recognized as Northern Arizona University's (NAU) Big Sky Scholar-Athletes of the Year for the 2021-22 season. This announcement came on Friday, among a total of 26 recipients across the league. Both athletes were previously acknowledged as NAU's top scholar-athletes during the 44th Annual Golden Eagle Awards in April.

Quax, a native of Auckland, New Zealand, was named the Lumberjacks' Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year after his strong performances in cross country and track & field. He participated in the NCAA Cross Country Championships, finishing 114th, contributing to NAU men's fifth Division I National Championship win. In track & field, he placed fourth in both indoor and outdoor 800-meter races at the Big Sky Track & Field Championships and competed in the NCAA West Regional for the 1500-meter event, securing 28th place. Quax is an eight-time Big Sky All-Academic honoree and has earned his third career USTFCCCA track & field all-academic recognition while working towards a bachelor's degree in civil engineering.

Orndoff concluded her basketball career with this honor following her Golden Eagle Top Female Scholar-Athlete award shared with golfer Elle Kocourkova. She completed her master's degree in communication and previously obtained a bachelor's degree in psychology at NAU. Over five years with NAU's women's basketball team, Orndoff scored 922 points across 104 games, starting in 96 of them with a streak of 76 consecutive starts by her final year. Last season she led her team with 342 points scored and averaged 11 points per game.