Coconino News

After showcasing exceptional skills both in sports and academics at Northern Arizona University, Coleman Owen from the football team and Regan Schenck from women's basketball have been recognized as NAU's Big Sky Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year. This announcement was made by the league office.

A total of 23 student-athletes were honored across the conference's 10 full-time members and affiliates. To qualify for this award, athletes must have exhausted their intercollegiate athletic eligibility or be part of the graduating class, maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, participate in a Big Sky-sponsored sport, complete at least two years of intercollegiate competition at their institution, and be a letter winner.

Coleman Owen hails from Gilbert, Arizona, where he completed his high school education at Higley High School. With eligibility remaining, he graduated with an undergraduate degree in finance maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA. He was among 30 students university-wide to receive a Gold Axe Award during the Gold Axe and Distinguished Senior Awards Ceremony last November, marking him as the first football player since 2016 to achieve this honor. Owen is also recognized as a three-time member of the Big Sky All-Academic team and has received the Golden Eagle Scholar-Athlete award four times.

Regan Schenck is from Woodinville, Washington, where she attended Woodinville High School. She concluded her career at Northern Arizona with dual degrees; initially earning a business degree in marketing with an emphasis on sales followed by a Master's degree in human relations while maintaining distinction with a perfect GPA of 4.0. Schenck has been awarded five times as a Golden Eagle Scholar-Athlete and secured her place on the All-Big Sky Academic team four times.

In sports performance, Owen was named second team All-Big Sky in 2022 after achieving impressive statistics including leading his team with 690 yards on 62 catches. He ranked nationally and within conference standings for receptions per game and receiving yards per game metrics while ending his season with multiple standout performances against highly-ranked teams.

Schenck's contributions to her team include setting program records for games played (156), total assists (703), and total minutes (4,776). She also stands fifth all-time for career points scored (1,358) within NAU’s history. Her achievements this season include scoring double figures consistently across numerous games while setting records for free throw percentages within NAU.