On June 11, 2005, Shauna Smith became the first woman in the history of the University of Wyoming to win an NCAA National Track and Field Championship as she won the 400-meter hurdles in a time of 54.32.  The time set new Mountain West Conference and Wyoming outdoor records, which still stand today.  Named the 2005 NCAA Women’s Athlete of the Year for the Midwest Region by the United States Track Coaches Association, she also earned a spot on the 2005 US National Team and competed in the 2005 World Track and Field Championships.  She was ranked as high as 5th in the world in the 400m hurdles in 2005.  Competing in the 400m dash and as part of the 4 x 100 relay team as well as the 400m hurdles, she was a five-time All-American, a six-time MWC champion, and earned all-MWC honors fourteen times.  She still holds the MWC and Wyoming records in the Indoor 400m dash, the Indoor 4 x 100 relay, and the Outdoor 400m hurdles.  Individually or as part of a relay team, she holds six Wyoming records.  At the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials, she placed sixth in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 54.42.  Smith was also selected as the All-American Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year by the National Strength and Conditioning Association in 2004.  With her eighth-place finish at the USA Track and Field Championships in 2003, she became the first Cowgirl hurdler in UW history to earn All-American honors.   A native of Sheridan, Wyo., she was named the 2002 MWC Freshman of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons.  Following her college career, Smith competed internationally for a few years.

A high school football and basketball star, Bob Mason had never seen a wrestling match before he came to the University of Wyoming.  After watching the sport and talking to wrestling coach Everett Lantz, he decided to join Wyoming’s wrestling team.  A native of Burns, Wyo., he won the conference championship in his first year of competition.  Wyoming’s first wrestling All America, Mason placed fourth in the nation at 155 pounds in 1950.  He repeated that feat in 1951 to gain his second All America honor.  In the Mountain States Conference, Mason won championships at 165 pounds in both 1949 and 1950 and, as team captain both years, led his team to conference titles in 1950 and 1951.  The Cowboy wrestling team finished 12th nationally in 1950 and 13th nationally in 1951.  Mason was a three-time letterwinner for the `Pokes and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wyoming.  He went on to a distinguished career as a high school and college wrestling coach and official and earned a doctorate in Education from the University of Washington.  He was inducted into the National Junior College Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 1980 and inducted posthumously into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2008.   Mason died on March 18, 2000, at the age of 70.

Wesley Maiyo claimed the first NCAA track title in University of Wyoming history as he ran the 1,000 yard dash in a time of 2:08.01 in the 1974 national championships.  The freshman from Kapsabet, Kenya, was the lone participant for the Cowboys in the Championships and made Wyoming proud by edging out Keith Francis of Boston College by three-tenths of a second in the finals.  Not only did Maiyo win the title, he broke the school record, which he had set just a week before at the WAC Championships, by over a second and a half.  The next season Maiyo continued to improve upon his performances in the 880 and 1,000 yard dash by setting Cowboy records in both events.  Maiyo recorded a time of 1:50.3 in the 880 and a first place finish at the United States Track and Field Federation Championships on Feb. 15, earning him an All-American certificate for indoor track and field.  Maiyo also claimed WAC titles in both events in 1975, tying the WAC mark in the 880 yard dash with a time of 1:52 and setting a new WAC and Wyoming record in the 1,000 yard dash with a time of 2:07.54.  At the NCAA Championships, Maiyo finished second in the 1000 yard dash and 6th in the 880.  Maiyo’s performances helped earn the Cowboys a 20th-place team finish at the NCAA Championships.  Maiyo continued his greatness on the track in the outdoor season setting records in the 800 meter and 1,500 meter dash over his two year career.  Maiyo still holds the school record in the 800 meter dash for outdoor track with a time of 1:46.44 and will forever hold the record of the 1,000 yard run for indoor track with his time of 2:07.54 in the discontinued event.

Mike English was hired as head volleyball coach at the University of Wyoming on Jan. 10, 1986, and had an immediate and long-lasting impact on the Cowgirl volleyball program.  He guided the team to Wyoming’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in his first season (1986) and went on to lead the Cowgirls to two more NCAA appearances in 1989 and `90.  In the 1989 NCAA Tournament, Wyoming emerged as the “Cinderella” of the championships, defeating heavily-favored Stanford and earning its way to the Elite Eight before falling to UCLA on the Bruins’ home court in the West Regional Final.  During his seven-year career, English won more matches (124) and posted a higher winning percentage (59.0 percent) than any coach in UW volleyball history. English earned High Country Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors in 1987 and 1989 and was named West Region Co-Coach of the Year in `89.  He ended his career with a 124-86 record at Wyoming and a 253-161 (.611) career record, including six years (1980-85) at the University of Missouri.  On Dec. 12, 1993, the University of Wyoming, the Laramie community and the college volleyball world were stunned when English was seriously injured in an auto accident between Laramie and Fort Collins, Colo.  He suffered a traumatic injury in the crash, which left him unable to return to coaching.  On Aug. 16, 1995, Nancy English and the University of Wyoming Athletics Department announced the establishment of the Mike English Women’s Volleyball Scholarship at the University of Wyoming, which is presented annually to a deserving volleyball student-athlete. English died on Nov. 20, 2000.

In only the second year of combined scoring, the UW men’s and women’s ski teams finished first overall at the 1985 NCAA Championships in Bozeman, Mont., capturing the second national skiing title for Wyoming (1968) . Thirteen UW skiers earned All American honors. In the Alpine events, Ann Melander won the women’s giant slalom while Becky Simning finished third, Heidi Ward 8th, and Shari Ahola 11th. Ian White was Wyoming’s top finisher in the men’s giant slalom, finishing 4th, ahead of teammates Nils Eriksson (5th), Olov Gynt (11th), and Dave Lyon (18th). Melander also won the women’s slalom event, placing just ahead of teammates Ahola (2nd), Simning (3rd), and Ward (6th). Lyon led Wyoming in the men’s slalom (10th), followed by Gynt (13th), White (14th), and Eriksson (25th). In the Nordic events, Wyoming’s women’s relay team (Hagensen, Stav, Peikli-Randall) won the 3 x 5 km event, while the men’s team of Grumsrud, Skosholm, and Straley finished 5th. In the 7.5 km Cross Country race, the women’s top finisher was Peikli-Randall (5th), while the men’s team was led by Per Henning (6th). Coached by Tim Ameel and Kent Towlerton, the 1985 team won four of its six meets, and finished second in the other two contests.

One of the greatest Wyoming high school wrestlers in state history, Ray Sanchez came to the University of Wyoming after compiling an amazing record of 98-0 and winning four state championships at Cheyenne Central High School. He was a two-time senior men’s National AAU champion in 1965 and 1966 and a two-time Great Plains National Champion representing Wyoming in 1966 and 1967. Sanchez was undefeated competing for the Cowboys’ Freshman Team in 1966. As a Cowboy sophomore on the varsity in 1967, despite battling an elbow injury, Sanchez finished fourth in the nation at 115 pounds and earned All America honors. Unfortunately, he suffered a back injury the following year and was forced to give up wrestling. He went on to a successful career as a teacher, coach and high school administrator.

Called “the best safety in football” by Coach Bowden Wyatt, Selmer Pederson earned honorable mention All-America honors in 1950, and was a two-time all-Skyline Conference honoree. Known as a devastating tackler, Pederson started three years on the Cowboys’ dominating nationally-ranked defense and helped Wyoming to a 26-3-1 record in those years, including 13 shutouts. Pederson holds the Wyoming career record for interceptions in a single game with three vs. Denver in 1950 (tied with Brian Lee and Shamiel Gary). Also an outstanding punt returner, Pederson holds the Cowboy career records for punt return yards (1080) and average yards per return (13). He also holds Wyoming’s single-season record for average yards per punt return (16.1 in 1949) and the single-game record for average yards per return (36.3 vs. Montana State in 1949), despite opponents’ routinely kicking away from him. Pederson also set Skyline Conference records for most punt returns (83) and most punt return yards (1080). Following his senior year, Pederson played in the North-South All-Star game.

An outstanding setter and tremendous leader, Chris Lull set the UW single-season assist record in 1989 when she produced 1,381 assists, also setting a record for assists per game with 12.4. For her efforts, she was named the High Country Athletic Conference Player of the Year and selected all-West Region by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. As tri-captain (with Darcy Cudaback and Ginger Bruere) in 1989, Lull led the team to the HCAC Championship and the “Elite 8” of the NCAA Tournament, still the best finish of any UW Volleyball team. Lull was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team, West Region. Referred to by her coach, Mike English, as “the key to making our offense click”, Lull was also a two-time Academic All-Conference selection. Lull attended the U.S. Olympic Festival in 1987, competed in the 1987 U.S. Sports Festival, played for the USA National “B” Team in 1990, and played professionally in Belgium.

The first UW women’s golfer ever to win an individual conference championship, Jordan Lintz excelled at Wyoming from 1997-2000. The highlight of her college career was winning the 2000 Mountain West Conference Championships individual title in 2000, and earning all-conference honors. She is also the only UW women’s golfer to qualify for the NCAA Regionals (2000). Lintz still holds the Cowgirl record for tournaments won (three) and the record for individual season stroke average (75-70 in 1999-2000). In 2005, Lintz qualified for the LPGA with full playing status. She played on the LPGA Futures tour from 2001 through 2008, and won the 2011 Connecticut Women’s Open. Lintz served as the assistant golf professional at Great River Golf Club in Milford, Conn., before joining Sacred Heart (Fairfield, Conn.) as an assistant women’s golf coach in 2011.

One of the greatest linemen ever to play at Wyoming, Len Kuczewski capped his career by earning honorable mention All America and First Team All-Conference honors in 1959. Despite his size (5-9, 176 pounds), Kuczewski anchored the Cowboy front line, widely considered the best in the conference. He led Coach Bob Devaney’s Cowboys to a record of 21-7-3 and two conference titles over his three years as a starter. Kuczewski played exceptionally well in Wyoming’s 1958 Sun Bowl victory over Hardin-Simmons and was the first lineman ever to be named the game’s outstanding player. He was also named to the 1958 Bowl All-Star team, a collection of players who starred in the 1958 college bowl games. Kuczewski was later named to the 75th Anniversary All-Sun Bowl Team. A natural leader and excellent student, he was voted captain of the 1959 team by his teammates and was named to the Skyline Conference All-Academic team.