A three-time All-America, Hybertsen won the national championship in Cross Country Skiing three years in a row (1973-74-75), and finished 7th nationally as a senior in 1976. At the time, Hybertsen was only the fourth three-time NCAA repeat champion in skiing history, and remains the only three-time cross-country champion ever. Recruited to Wyoming by fellow skier Staale Engen, Hybertsen anchored an exceptional group of Nordic skiers who led the Wyoming ski team to second-place finishes in 1973 and 1974, and a third-place finish in 1975. Hybertsen also competed in cross country for the UW Track team. A native of Honefoss, Norway, Hybertsen came to Wyoming after a stint in the Norwegian army, where he was a member of the King’s Guard ski team, a prestigious unit which represents Norwegian royalty in competition. A terrific all-around athlete, he also won the Norwegian pentathlon and represented his country in the Scandinavian Championships.

One of Wyoming’s all-time great wrestlers, Jerry Frude was a two-time All-America (1959 and 1960). In 1959 as a sophomore, he won the Mountain States/Skyline Conference title at 147 pounds and then went on to a second-place finish in the NCAA Championships, helping the Cowboys to a 6th-place team finish. He again finished second in the nation in the 147-pound weight class in 1960, while Wyoming finished third as a team. After sitting out a year in 1961, Frude re-joined the team in 1962 and was named co-captain. He won his second Skyline Conference championship at 147 pounds and won his first two matches at the NCAA Championships before falling to eventual national runner-up Kirk Pendleton of Lehigh. A native of Laramie, Frude was never pinned by an opponent during his college career. Wyoming’s wrestling teams finished 6th (1959), 3rd (1960), and 11th (1962) in the nation during Frude’s time at UW and won the Mountain States/Skyline Conference team championship each year (1959, 1960 and 1962).

A two-sport letterman, Staale Engen excelled in both Nordic Skiing and Cross Country Track during his career at Wyoming. He won the national title in cross country skiing in 1972, and finished second nationally in 1971 and 1973. Earning All-American honors in 1971, 1972, and 1973, Engen led Wyoming’s ski teams to a third-place finish in 1972 and a second-place in 1973. In Track, Engen earned All-Conference honors in cross country and track in 1971 and 1972, participating in the 3000 meter steeplechase and the 1500-meter run. He once held the UW record in the 3000 meter steeplechase, and competed in the 1972 NCAA Outdoor Track Championships. Engen was honored with the Admiral Land Award as UW’s top student-athlete in 1973. He also spent time as an assistant track coach at Wyoming. A native of Drammen, Norway, Engen was a four-time Norwegian champion in track and won the King’s Trophy as the best Track and Field athlete in Norway in 1970. Engen also contributed to UW’s success by recruiting other top Norwegian skiers and runners to attend the University.

The 1986-87 Cowboy Basketball team captured the hearts of the Wyoming fans. Riding high from their NIT finals appearance the year before, the 1986-87 Cowboys were 24-10 overall, 11-5 in the conference. They had a chance to win a share of the regular season Western Athletic Conference title, but lost a heartbreaker at UTEP, 74-72, in the last game of the season and ended up tied for third place. The `Pokes then went on a magical run in the WAC tournament at the Pit in Albuquerque, winning three consecutive two-point thrillers. The Cowboys defeated Utah in the first round, 56-54, on a short jumper by junior guard Reggie Fox with three seconds left. Facing league champion UTEP in the semi-finals, the Cowboys needed a three-pointer from Fox with ten seconds left to win, 77-74. In the final round, the Cowboys were up against New Mexico on its home floor. This time, the Cowboys won 64-62 on two free throws from senior guard Sean Dent with 11 seconds left to capture the WAC Tournament championship and the NCAA automatic bid. Junior center Eric Leckner was named the MVP of the WAC Tournament (for the second year in a row) after scoring 67 points in the three games. The Cowboys were seeded 12th in the NCAA Tournament West Regional at Salt Lake City, and Wyoming fans flocked to neighboring Utah to cheer on their team. The Cowboys surprised 5th-seeded Virginia of the Atlantic Coast Conference, 64-60, behind Leckner’s 22 points and junior swingman Fennis Dembo’s 16 points and nine rebounds. In the next round, the Cowboys became everyone’s “Cinderella” team by defeating UCLA and its star Reggie Miller, 78-68. Dembo became a household name by scoring 41 points, including a tournament record 16-16 from the free throw line. Advancing to the “Sweet 16” in Seattle, Wyoming faced eventual national runner-up UNLV and played well before losing, 92-78. For his efforts, Dembo was named first team all-conference, first team all-district VII, and the WAC player of the year. Leckner was also named first team all-conference and first team all-district VII. Dent set the Wyoming single-season assist record with 183 assists, while Dembo set the single-season record for three-point field goals with 78. With all five starters returning On the heels of the “Sweet 16” appearance, and with all five starters and ten lettermen returning, the Cowboys were ranked #10 in the 1987-88 pre-season polls and Dembo was featured on the cover of the Sports Illustrated college basketball preview issue.

The first Wyoming swimmer ever to compete in the Olympic games (2004), Scott Usher earned five All America honors (four first-team) over the course of his college career. He earned a trip to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens after placing second in the 200-meter breaststroke (2:10.90) at the US Olympic Team Trials on July 11, 2004, finishing second to a World Record swim by Texas’ Brendan Hansen (2:09.04). He placed seventh in the finals of the 200-meter breaststroke at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. He swam a finals time of 2:11.95, the fifth fastest semi-final time of 2:12.00 and the ninth best preliminary time of 2:13.59. Usher still holds the Mountain West Conference record, the Wyoming record, the MWC Championships record and the Corbett Pool record in both the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events. A six-time conference champion, Usher won 35 of the 36 dual meet breaststroke events he raced while at Wyoming and placed second once. In his freshman year, he won the 200 breaststroke and placed fifth in the 100 breaststroke at the 2002 MWC Championships. As a sophomore, he won both breaststroke events at the conference championships and placed sixth in the 200-yard breaststroke at the 2003 NCAA Championships with a time of 1:57.05. He was selected as an All-American for his finish. He also placed 15th in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 54.75, earning honorable mention All-American honors. In 2004, he was named MWC Swimmer of the Year after again winning both breaststroke events at the conference meet and was again a two-time All-American after placing third in the 100-meter breaststroke (59.01) and second in the 200-meter breaststroke (2:07.66) at the NCAA Championships. As a senior, he won the fourth 200-yard breaststroke title of his career at the 2005 MWC Championships, swimming to a time of 1:57.51. He placed second in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 54.33. He was awarded the MWC’s Senior Recognition Award following the championships. Usher then earned the fourth first-team All-American and fifth overall honor of his career by placing fourth in the 200-yard breaststroke (1:55.33) at the 2005 NCAA Championships. Usher earned a spot on the 2005 U.S. World Championship team by placing second in the 200-meter breaststroke at the World Championship Trials, April 1-5, 2005 in Indianapolis, Ind., and participated in several national and international events. A four-time letterwinner at Wyoming, he also earned Mountain West Conference Swimmer of the Week honors three times during his career. He is one of two sons of Tom and Pam Usher, and graduated from high school in Grand Island, Neb.

Quarterback Jim Walden transferred to Wyoming from Itawamba (Miss.) Junior College prior to the 1958 season and immediately became a crowd favorite. Nicknamed the “Mississippi Gambler”, Walden led the Cowboys to back-to-back Skyline Conference championships. Known for his “passing, running, punting and sparkling leadership”, according to the 1960 Wyoming media guide, Walden was a dynamic player who could turn nothing into something. In 1958, Wyoming was 8-3 and won the Sun Bowl over Hardin-Simmons. Walden was second team all-conference and made several all-opponent teams. He led the Cowboys in passing with 491 yards and five touchdowns, and in punting with 20 punts for 801 yards (40.1 yard average). In 1959, the Cowboys finished with a 9-1 record. Walden earned Honorable Mention All America honors and was voted the player of the year in the Skyline Conference. He set a conference career record for average gain per play (6.57). He ranked 13th nationally and 1st in the conference in total offense with 1211 yards. He again led the Cowboys in passing with 882 yards and 11 touchdowns and in punting with 35 punts for 1291 yards (37.0 yard average). He also was second on the team in rushing with 329 yards and led the team in punt returns with ten returns for 86 yards. He ranked 2nd in the conference in passing and 5th in punting. He set Wyoming records for most touchdown passes (11) and average gain per play (7.0) in 1959. He was chosen to play in the Shrine East-West all-star game after the season, where he split quarterback duties with SMU’s Don Meredith. Walden was drafted by the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League and by the Denver Broncos of the American Football League, but he elected to play for Vancouver of the Canadian Football League. He played three years in the CFL before starting his coaching career at the high school level in his native Mississippi. Former Wyoming coach Bob Devaney gave him his start in college coaching, hiring him as an assistant at Nebraska. He was then an assistant coach at Washington State before being named the head coach of the Cougars in 1978. He spent 9 years at Washington State and then 8 years as the head coach at Iowa State. He retired from Iowa State in 1994 and became a radio color commentator.

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.