Erica (Brick) Straface – Women’s Volleyball (2005-08)

Much like her last name, Erica Straface (née Brick) was part of a foundation that began a successful run in the Cody Hein era. During her time at Chico State, the Wildcats made not only their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 14 years, but they made three consecutive trips to the postseason including a pair of visits to the second round. After a 5-22 record the season before she arrived, Brick went on to play all four years at Chico State and boasted a 71-43 record throughout her career. As a setter, Brick became the first Wildcat to eclipse 1,000 career assists and finished with 4,440 total, which was a Chico State record for a brief time until her successors took the title. Brick is currently third all-time in career assists and even finished fourth in aces (131).

The 2008 Chico State Female Athlete of the Year, Brick and fellow Hall of Famer Jamie Houle were both the first All-America selections in program history. Brick was a third-team selection in 2006 and received an honorable mention two years later. She also was voted All-West Region three times, twice as a first team selection, once as a second team. During her first year at Chico State, Brick was second-team All-CCAA. After that, she went on to win first-team honors from 2006-08.

Off the court, Brick was an academic recipient of Chico State’s Richard Dahl Scholar Athlete Award and the Hal Charnovsky Award at the conference level. She also served as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Mike Cleland – Men’s Diving (1976-78, 1980)

When it came to the diving board, Mike Cleland etched his name as one of Chico State’s greats. He captured five all All-Americas - four of which were achieved as top-10 finishes – and was a member of one national championship team, a national runner-up team and two bronze-winning teams. As part of the team that went to the 1980 NCAA Championships, Cleland set the record in multiple diving events.

A back-to-back Far West Conference Diver of the Year, Cleland helped the Wildcats clinch the team titles along with winning individual crowns.

Curt Cochran – Men’s Swimming (1982-86)

When Curt Cochran completed his collegiate career at Chico State in 1986, he did so with quite the resumé. The 1986 Chico State Senior Athlete of the Year, Cochran collected 11 All-Americans, six individually and five as part of the relay team, and the Wildcats won four consecutive conference championships and placed third, fourth and seventh twice at the NCAA Championships. Cochran also had two podium finishes during his All-America run. Although the program is discontinued, Cochran holds the Chico State record in both the 100 and 200 backstroke.

Lucas Delgado – Men’s Golf (2007-10)

When Lucas Delgado arrived at Chico State for the 2007-08 season, he was put on the NCAA Division II Jack Nicklaus Award (National Player of the Year) watch list. Although he didn’t get the award that season, Delgado still earned quite the respect from the collegiate golf community. He was named All-America honorable mention in 2007-08 and 2009-10, both PING All-West Region and All-CCAA every season at Chico State while capturing the conference’s newcomer of the year award. 

Delgado played in 35 tournaments during his time as a Wildcat and he boasted 23 top-10 finishes and 15 in the top-10, which ranked third and fifth best, respectively, in program history. He ended his collegiate career with a stroke average of 73.097, the fourth best in the history of the program.

In his final season with Chico State, Delgado led the Wildcats to a third-place finish at the 2010 NCAA Championships. Even after he left, the Wildcats continued qualifying for the national tournament, appearing in the championships three of the next four seasons. 

Honorary Member Steve Irving

Hired at Chico State in 1984, Steve Irving held dual roles as a financial aid advisor and an assistant track & field coach under Cherie Sherrard, assigned to the shot put, high jump, triple jump and discus events. He moved into coaching the 4x100 and 4x400 relays in 1986 under coach Kirk Freitas and continued coaching under Oliver Hanf until his retirement in 2018. He cites watching the men’s 4x400 relay team set the school record at the NCAA Division II Championships in 1991 with a time of 3:06.93. That record is still held intact today.

In 1991, Freitas moved over to the Student Employment office and coordinated job opportunities for students on- and off-campus. He retired from that position in 2015.

Fritz Libby – Men’s Soccer (1986-89)

One day growing up, Fritz Libby watched his neighbor, who happened to be a college athlete at the time, juggle the ball around. The moment Libby touched the ball and learned how to juggle from his neighborhood friend was when he fell in love with the ‘beautiful game,’ and it became a goal of his to play both collegiately and professionally.

The first goal was achieved when then-Chico State head coach Don Batie brought Libby on as the program’s first athletic scholarship recipient. With Libby, Chico State captained the team for three seasons and boasted a 54-27-3 record, including a 37-10-1 performance in the former Northern California Athletic Conference. Along the way, he helped the Wildcats to the NCAC title in 1987 and make an NCAA Tournament appearance. He was also one of 20 players in program history to net a hat trick. In addition to earning both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Libby left Chico State with two first-team All-West Regions and All-NCAC first team and honorable mention.

Libby completed his second goal and played professionally for the New Mexico Chiles, Chico Rooks and Reno Rattlers. He also saw some time in the international level.

Lindsay (Macias) Champion – Women’s Volleyball (2005-08)

Another proud product from the Cody Hein era, Lindsay Champion’s maiden name (Macias) can be found in numerous pages of the volleyball record book. She was named All-America honorable mention in 2007, first-team All-West Region twice (2006 and 2007) and honorable mention once (2008), and she was a four-time All-CCAA – first team in 2005, 2006, 2007; second-team in 2008).

Champion still holds the program’s all-time kills record with 1,475 and is seventh in digs (1,134) and eighth in service aces (107).

Along with her teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Erica Brick, Champion helped turned the Wildcats around from a 5-22 season prior her arrival to posting records of 13-13, 21-6, 16-13 and 21-11.

Sarah Montez – Women’s Cross Country (2003-04 & 2006-07) / Women’s Track & Field (2004, 2006-08)

Already inducted into the Class of 2023, Sarah Montez will officially go into the Hall of Fame in 2024. A frequent visitor at both the NCAA Cross Country and Track & Field Championships, Montez wrapped up her illustrious running career having been on the national stage in both sports seven times. She captured the national title in the 3,000-meter run in 2008 and raced to her second All-America honor the year before. Montez also earned an All-America accolade in cross country, having helped the ‘Cats cross country team place in the top 10 nationally in 3-of-4 seasons. Montez is the only woman in the cross country program to earn four All-West Region honors as well as being one of 13 runners to notch three All-CCAA efforts. The Chico State women’s cross country team clinched three conference titles, its first and second West Regional titles and its first two podium finishes ever at the NCAA Championships.

Shortly after she graduated in 2009, Montez moved back home to help her grandparents. She briefly coached at her high school, Royal High, with her cross country coach, Jay Sramek, until she moved on to her career at Biomedical Research Lab and the Veterinary Diagnostics Institute, having started out as a lab technician before becoming a lab directory. She then made a new chapter in her life: motherhood. She and her husband, Steven, are the proud parents of Olivia and Emmett. She still finds time to run during her busy schedule as a fulltime parent with a group of women in the morning with the interest in racing again in the future.

Bruce Oliver – Men’s Swimming (1973-74)

Another product from the elite Chico State swimming program, Bruce Oliver was accomplished a lot in his brief time (1973-74) at Chico State. He earned nine All-America accolades, six as an individual and three as part of a relay team. In fact, five of his finishes were in the top-6 including two third-place medals.

Among junior college transfers, Oliver was the program’s all-time leading points scorer at the NCAA Championships, which helped the Wildcats win two of them. Oliver also clinched four conference titles along the way.

Marc Peterson – Men’s Golf (2003-05)

After a junior college stint, Marc Peterson enrolled at Chico State and for two seasons he solidified himself as Wildcat great on the golf course. He was voted All-America second team in his first season and followed with an honorable mention the next year, he earned All-CCAA honors following a fourth-place finish in 2004 and he placed in the top-20 in 10 of his 20 career tournaments, including seven in the top 10.

Peterson also helped the Wildcats reach second at the 2004 NCAA Championships by finishing in a tie for 23rd and at the same tournament a year later he contributed to the team finishing seventh by reaching fifth in the individual leaderboard.

Steve Schriver – Men’s Diving (1979-82)

When Steve Schriver visited Chico State to see the conference meet, he got to see his fellow 2024 Hall of Fame member and Sacramento native Mike Cleland dive. Noticing a difference in Cleland’s performance since leaving his hometown and meeting up with coaches Clark Yeager and Jim Hocking, Schriver knew he wanted to become a Wildcat.

From 1979-82, Schriver kept the swimming program’s tradition of success going, winning six individual All-Americas, three conference titles and he was part of a four-peat league championship run. Schriver also etched his name into the program’s history book that still stands today. In 1981, he set the school records in both diving events and at the NCAA Championships he was part of the diving team that scored 33 points which stands as second best.

Away from the pool, Schriver was a member of the Delta Sigma Phi and he is still close to his fraternity brothers.

Audriana Spencer – Women’s Basketball (2004-08)

Simply put, Audriana Spencer is one of the greatest Chico State women’s basketballers of all time. Although she received an All-America honorable mention her senior season, Spencer became one of four players in program history to win first-team All-West Region and she was voted All-CCAA twice, including first team in 2007-08 and second team in 2006-07.

Under now-Division I coaches Lynne Roberts (2004-06) and Molly Goodenbour (2006-08), Spencer compiled a 104-21 record as a Wildcat, including 63-13 in the CCAA. She helped lead the Wildcats to three straight CCAA titles and four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances including three trips to the West Regional final. Chico State did clinch the regional title with Spencer on the team and qualify for the NCAA Women’s Elite Eight, reaching the semifinal in 2005-06.

Spencer left Chico State with the best career 3-point field goal percentage (.398) and is in the top 10 in points (8th with 1,327), 3-pointers made (3rd with 196), steals (7th with 182) and assists (7th with 315). She went on to play professionally for the Union Kuenring Flames of the Austrian Basketball League’s First Division. She even led the league in scoring at 29.8 points per game.