CORVALLIS, Ore. – Eastern Oregon University’s Maya Ah You Dias and Southern Oregon University’s Zach Beltz were named the Cascade Collegiate Conference Red Lion Athletes of the Year, the conference office announced today. The award is the CCC’s top athletic honor selected by the conference’s athletic directors.
Ah You Dias, a senior guard from Middleton, Idaho becomes only the third student-athlete in the history of the award to win in back-to-back years joining College of Idaho standout Hillary Holt- (12-13,13-14) and Northwest’s Kim Stone- (01-02,02-03). Holt and Stone competed in cross-country and track & field for their respective schools.
With an overall record of 29-4, Ah You Dias led the Mountaineers to regular season and conference tournament titles, along with an appearance in the NAIA Women’s Basketball Division II National Tournament field of 16. Named the CCC Player of the Year, Ah You Dias was the conference player of the week on four occasions and the national player of the week twice. A repeat first team All-American, Ah You Dias was named the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Player of the Year. The honor is the first in program history for Eastern Oregon.
A prolific scorer, Ah You Dias set a Mountaineer single game record with 45-points this season and ranks second all-time with 1,843 points. Her 23.2 points per game led the CCC and was second overall in the NAIA. Not just a scorer, Ah You Dias possessed an all-around game averaging 9.0 rebounds, a shooting percentage of 53.5 from the field and 44.3 percentage from behind the arc. Additionally, she averaged 3.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
Ah You Dias carries a 3.69 GPA earning U.S. Bank Academic All-Conference and NAIA-Daktronics Scholar Athlete honors. She will graduate on June 15 with a degree in Psychology.
Beltz, a senior from Elmira, Oregon capped an impressive final season as a Raider in dramatic fashion. Down to his final attempt in the long-jump at the NAIA Championships, Beltz unleashed a mark of 7.81 (25-7 ½) to win the title by a centimeter and garner All-American honors. The win in Gulf Shores was his eighth on the season winning each time he entered the long-jump during 2019.
At the CCC championships in early May, Beltz became the first four-time champion in the long-jump with his mark of 25-10 setting a new meet record. Beltz was also tops in the triple-jump for the third time winning with a meet record mark of 50-7 ¼. His ark in the long jump would have ranked first this season in the Pac 12 (NCAA D-I).
Beltz became the only CCC athlete ever to have won both jumps (long and triple) three straight years and was named the CCC male Track/Field Athlete of the Year, as well as, the NAIA West Region Field Athlete of the Year. The region award was voted on by the US Track and Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association. Beltz was also the NAIA national field athlete of the week twice.
Beltz will graduate with a degree in Communications from the Ashland, Oregon campus.
Other female nominees included: Katie Michkiosky, Northwest (soccer), Natalie Taylor, Evergreen (volleyball), Cindy Reed, Oregon Tech (cross-country/track&field), Esther Lee, British Columbia (golf), Anika Rasubala, Northwest Christian (cross-country/track&field), Jordan Woodvine, Corban (basketball), Gabby Sandoval, Southern Oregon (softball), Eme McLaughlin, Providence (soccer), Carolina Montes, Walla Walla (basketball)
Other male nominees included: Brendan Collins, Walla Walla (golf), Kieran Lumb, British Columbia (track & field) Corey Sledge, Eastern Oregon (track & field), Conner Covey, Northwest Christian (cross-country/track&field), Michael Schmidt, Corban (track&field), Emilio Meraz-Rodriguez, Evergreen (soccer), Riley Sine, Northwest (cross-country/track&field), Anthony Orozco, Menlo (wrestling), Adrian Lyons-Lopez, Providence (wrestling)
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