NWAC Announces Hall of Fame Class of 2023
VANCOUVER, Wash. - The Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) is pleased to announce the NWAC Hall of Fame Class of 2023. The 2023 NWAC Hall of Fame Induction Dinner & Awards Ceremony will take place on June 1, 2023 at the Red Lion Hotel Pasco Airport & Conference Center in Pasco, Washington. Tickets will be available for purchase by April 1. Event details can be found at www.nwacsports.org/halloffame.
Individual inductees: Dave Baty (Volleyball Coach, Blue Mountain Community College), Chad Bodnar (Men's & Women's Soccer Coach, Walla Walla Community College), Scott Rogers (Baseball Coach, Columbia Basin College), Robyn Schirmer (Volleyball Player, Blue Mountain Community College), Aaron Sutton (Baseball Player, Treasure Valley Community College), Janet Skaife (Softball Coach, Community College of Spokane), Candy Lacher (Outstanding Service, Big Bend Community College).
Team inductees: 2010 Blue Mountain Community College Volleyball Team, 2001 Columbia Basin College Baseball Team, 2009 Walla Walla Community College Women's Soccer Team.
Dave Baty, Head Volleyball Coach, Blue Mountain Community College (2008-2016)
Dave Baty was one of the most successful NWAC volleyball coaches in the history of the NWAC. Coach Baty won five NWAC championships in eight seasons, winning four championships in a row. He was named all-tournament coach five times, named the NWAC VB coach of the year three times, and was named American Volleyball Coaches Association Community College Coach of the year in 2010. Coach Baty moved several players on to the four-year level, and coached multiple players of the year during his coaching tenure at BMCC.
Chad Bodnar, Head Men's & Women's Soccer Coach, Walla Walla Community College (2003-2013)
Chad Bodnar was the Head Men's and Women's Soccer Coach at Walla Walla Community College from 2003-2013. Prior to becoming the Head Coach at WWCC, Bodnar was an assistant for the Warriors for three years. During his time as the Head Men's and Women's Soccer Coach at WWCC, Bodnar won nine East Region Titles on the women's side and eight East Region titles on the men's side. His women's teams won three NWAC Championships in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and was runner-up on four other occasions. The men's team won the NWAC Championship in 2008. All totaled, Coach Bodnar won 17 East Region Titles and four NWAC Championships, four NWAC Coach of the Year awards, was named East Region Coach of the Year a combined 17 times, and in doing so won over 80% of his games as a head coach at Walla Walla Community College.
In 2013, Bodnar went on to be the Head Women's Soccer Coach at Eastern Washington University and was Big Sky Coach of the Year in 2019.
Scott Rogers, Head Men's Baseball Coach, Columbia Basin College (1997-2008)
In the 11 years Rogers directed the baseball program, his teams totaled a 398-139 record for a .741 winning percentage. The Hawks claimed eight East Region Championships, two NWAC Championships, and 30 wins (in a 40-game schedule) nine times. The Hawks crossed the 40-win plateau twice, once in a 40-game schedule (42 wins) and once in a 50-game schedule (45 wins). Rogers retired as the all-time winningest baseball coach in the history of the program, both in terms of overall wins and winning percentage. In 2002, CBC was honored as the first-ever NWAC baseball program to be nationally ranked when Baseball America ranked CBC 9th in the nation. The 2005 version of CBC baseball had the honor of being only the second NWAC baseball program to be nationally ranked when Baseball America tabbed the Hawks as the 8th best team in the country.
Robyn Schirmer, Volleyball Player, Blue Mountain Community College (2010, 2012)
Robyn is a two-time American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American being named to the second team in 2010 and being named to the first team in 2012. In 2010, she was a member of the First Team All NWAC team and in 2012, was named the NWAC Baden Volleyball Player of the Year while at BMCC. She was a dominant and key player on two Blue Mountain championship teams in 2010 and 2012. She went on to play at Lewis and Clark State College and was named to the Frontier Conference All-Academic team in 2015.
Aaron Sutton, Baseball Player, Treasure Valley Community College (2003-2005)
During his time at TVCC, Sutton was named to the NWAC All-Region team as an infielder and the team won the school's first ever East Region Title in 2005. At TVCC, he was presented the Ben Wren Award for Academic Student of the year and the Oregon Community College Association outstanding student scholar award.
Sutton transferred to Western Oregon University to continue his academic and baseball career. At Western Oregon he made an immediate impact, helping lead the Wolves to two GNAC conference championships and hosting the school's first ever NCAA West Regional in 2006 and highest national ranking at 4th. He was honored as a GNAC All-Conference Infielder in 2006 and 2007. His senior season he was also recognized as an ESPN Academic All-American. Sutton finished his education at Idaho State University with a master's degree in Athletic Administration.
Sutton returned to his Alma Mater and coached at Treasure Valley Community College for nine seasons at TVCC, he spent five years as an assistant coach and four years as the head coach and a faculty member in the Physical Education Department. During his tenure as head coach, he was a three-time Northwest Athletic Conference East Region Coach of the Year and piloted the Chukars to region titles in 2013 through 2015. Sutton produced three Junior College All-Americans, Two All-American Gold Glove Winners, three Region Players of the year, and posted an overall record of 139-61 as a Chukar.
After TVCC, Sutton led Montana State University Billings to two conference championships and was awarded GNAC Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2019. His 2019 team competed in the school's first ever NCAA West Regional. In 2020, Sutton made the jump to professional baseball where he worked for the Minnesota Twins as a Minor League Manager and Boise Hawks as their current hitting coach.
Janet Skaife, Head Softball Coach, Community Colleges of Spokane (1998-2015)
During her time as the Head Softball Coach for the Community Colleges of Spokane, Skaife amassed a career record of 538-265 and did not finish lower that fourth place in the East Region during her career. Her teams won eight NWAC East Region Championships (8)-1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2015. Under her reign, the CCS softball team finished in second place five times, third place two times, and fourth place three times. Skaife skippered championship teams in 1998 and in 2015.
Skaife was a CCS basketball player in 1983-1984 and was a two-time East Region champion and NWAACC Championships winner. Janet was named First Team All-Tournament in 1984. As a CCS Softball Player, she was a member of the CCS first softball team in 1985. Skaife was named First Team All-Conference, and her team finished in fourth place at the NWAACC tournament.
Outstanding Service
Candy Lacher, Big Bend Community College
In June of 2016 after 27 years, Lacher retired from Big Bend Community College as the Associate Vice President of Student Services. She was a relentless advocate of student-athletes, Big Bend Community College and the NWAC. It was not unusual to see Lacher travel to BBCC away games as she supported her teams both at home and on the road.
For 8 years (2008-2016) Lacher was the NWAC Big Bend Women's Commissioner, served well over 20 years in the Big Bend Athletic Booster club, and currently works on the Big Bend Foundation Board. She has volunteered to serve for over 20 years at the NWAC Basketball Championships and for years has helped at the NWAC Volleyball Championships. She clearly displays servant leadership in whatever roll and for whomever she works or volunteers.
Team Nominees Class of 2023
Blue Mountain Community College, 2010 Volleyball Team
Under coach Baty's leadership, the 2010 BMCC Volleyball team complied a record of 43-6 and went on to win the first of five championships over an eight-year span. Rebecca Haight was selected to the American Volleyball Coaches Association First Team and was named NWAC MVP of the tournament. Her teammate Robyn Schirmer was selected to the Second Team of the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Columbia Basin College, 2001 Baseball Team
The Columbia Basin Baseball team won their fourth consecutive East Region title in 2001. This team finished the season 39-8 with the best winning percentage by a champion as well as the highest winning percentage in East Region history. The 2001 squad's 39 wins is a CBC record, East Region record, and a NWAC record for most wins by a NWAC baseball champion. The 2001 CBC pitching staff set the NWAC record for the lowest team ERA. It is the only team in the NWAC to have a player win three consecutive batting titles. It is the second team in NWAC history to win the ERA and batting titles in the same year and set the record for 21 wins to start a season. They are the first NWAC baseball team to nationally recognized as they were ranked No. 9 in the country by Baseball America.
Walla Walla Community College, 2009 Women's Soccer Team
The 2009 WWCC Women's Soccer Team were East Region Champions during the regular season and later went on to become NWAC Champions that year as well. Their overall record climbed to 21-1 by the season's end and, along with the NWAC Championship, resulted in many post-season accolades. Six of the Warrior women were All-East Region selections, and Head Coach Chad Bodnar was selected as NWAC Women's Soccer Coach of the Year. The Warrior Women went 15-0 in East Region play in 2009 and outscored their opponents 103-6 while recording sixteen shutouts. Five of the Warrior ladies went on to play at the next level. Coach Chad Bodnar was also recognized as Co-Coach of the Year along with Spokane's Jim Martinson.