Northeastern State Athletics announces Hall Of Fame Class Of 2025

The Northeastern State University Athletic Department announced its Hall of Fame Class of 2025 on Tuesday. The 2025 inductees are: 

1. Eric Crawford - Men's Soccer (2011-15)
2. Loren Montgomery - Football (1996-99)
3. Rachel Sordahl - Women's Soccer (2009-12)
4. Baylee (Price) Williamson - Women's Golf (2014-17)
5. 1980 Football Team

Eric Crawford, Men's Soccer, 2011-15

Eric Crawford headlined a defensive back line for the Northeastern State men's soccer team that recorded the three best defensive seasons in school history. In NSU's first season (2012) as a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), Crawford and the RiverHawks earned their first NCAA postseason berth in seven seasons, claiming a Central Region Championship and reaching the National Quarterfinals for the first time in program history. 

For his efforts, Crawford was named by the United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) as an All-American. He earned a second nod following his senior season in 2015, becoming at that point just the third NSU men's soccer player to earn the recognition twice. Crawford was a seven-time All-Region First Team performer, a three-time All-MIAA First Team honoree, and an NSCAA Academic All-American. 

For his work not only in men's soccer, but in the classroom and community, Crawford was NSU's first finalist for the MIAA's Ken B. Jones Award, which recognizes the league's top female and male student-athletes from the academic year. Following his playing career, Crawford served on the NSU men's soccer coaching staff for two seasons (2016-17) and was part of a staff that earned the program's second NCAA National Quarterfinal appearance.

Loren Montgomery, Football, 1996-99

Loren Montgomery was a mainstay on the Northeastern State University offensive line during the program's first years as an NCAA Division II member, an era when NSU held the winningest college football program in Oklahoma in the 1990s. 

He concluded his four-year career helping guide Northeastern State in 1999 to the Division II playoff semifinals, a team that was inducted into the NSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021. 

Following his graduation from Northeastern State in 2000, he worked for ten seasons in several coaching roles for the Jenks Trojans football team, which included working under legendary coach and 2017 NSU Distinguished Alumnus, the late Allan Trimble. 

Montgomery went on to lead the Bixby Spartans, where he has guided them to ten state titles over the last 11 seasons, along with a state-record win streak of 58 games. He has become the most accomplished large-school prep football coach in state history. In 2023, Montgomery was named by the Northeastern State University Alumni Association as one of its Distinguished Alumnus.

Rachel Sordahl, Women's Soccer, 2009-12

Rachel Sordahl will be the first women's soccer student-athlete inducted into the NSU Athletics Hall of Fame. Sordahl ranks second all-time in its program's history with 41 goals and 89 total points. 

She is in the top eight in goals scored in a season and is third overall with 13 made during her true freshman season in 2009. Sordahl was on pace to have a phenomenal senior season in 2012 and had eight goals in the first five matches of the campaign before seeing her career end early due to injury. 

She registered 15 career game-winning goals and three hat tricks, while earning multiple all-conference honors. Sordahl moved on and assisted the NSU women's soccer team as a coach in 2013, where the RiverHawks won 15 matches, which remains tied for the most for the program during a single season. 

Baylee (Price) Williamson, Women's Golf, 2014-17

Baylee (Price) Williamson is the only past and present NSU student-athlete to earn Player of the Year honors from the MIAA twice, and came onto the scene as its Freshman of the Year in 2014. Williamson currently holds the program career-low scoring average (76.1), with her 74.4 scoring average during the 2015-16 season holding the top spot by nearly a stroke. 

She owns a program high of eight medalist honors, with two of those being the 2014 and 2016 MIAA Championship, and is the only three-time winner of NSU's home fall golf classic. Williamson qualified to play in the NCAA National Finals three times, a feat achieved by only four golfers at NSU, and earned a top-15 finish at the 2015 Championship. 

In 2016, she earned All-American status by the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) and was a four-time All-Region and All-MIAA selection. 

Williamson also earned All-America Scholar honors from WGCA four times and was part of the 2016 team bestowed the Highest Team GPA Award by the NCAA at the Spring Championships Festival in Denver. It was the first time in school history that a team from Northeastern State was honored with the prestigious award.

1980 Football Team

The 1980 Northeastern State football team was one of the top forces in the nation, with three shutouts, and had a then-NAIA playoff record of seven interceptions in the playoff quarterfinals. Head Coach George Elliott led Northeastern State to its first NAIA postseason berth since 1958 and reached the championship game, finishing the season with an 11-2 overall record. 

Northeastern State claimed a share of the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference (OIC) title, beat a then No. 2 ranked Angelo State team in the quarterfinals in a 10-3 result, and shut out Nebraska-Kearney in a 14-0 triumph in the national semifinals. 

Elliott earned OIC and NAIA District Coach of the Year, with the team garnering six NAIA All-District picks, eight OIC selections, and one All-American honor at wide receiver.