This is the eighth and final article highlighting the CSU Pueblo Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023 Inductees and today's final article features former CSU Pueblo cross country and track student-athletes Bailey Hughes (2013-15) and Derrick Williams (2014-18).
The 2023 induction ceremony for the Colorado State University Pueblo will look light a "family affair" tonight at the Occhiato Student Center.
To start, CSU Pueblo Associated Student Government President Gavin Graham will speak for his grandfather, Bobby Graham. Then towards the end of the event, the "Legacy" induction will take place for the Trahern's as the family athletics' career impacted 13 seasons of competition at the school and over 400 games and matches.
In between, a husband and wife will be inducted at the same ceremony as CSU Pueblo honors the contributions by Bailey Hughes and her husband Derrick Williams as the couple returns from New England to attend tonight's banquet.
Other individuals to be inducted tonight with Hughes and Williams are Rachel Hunter (women's basketball & volleyball, 1985-1988), Ryan Jensen (football, 2009-2012), Shelly Watts Pearcey (women's basketball, 1985-1988) and Mike Friedman, who coached USC to its first RMAC football title and national playoff berth.
Also being inducted is the 2016-2017 women's basketball team that posted a 28-4 overall record and captured the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season title and hosted the NCAA South Regional Tournament will join the Hall of Fame in the Team category.
Hughes and Williams live in Boston where Bailey teaches in the public school's system, while Derrick is enrolled at Harvard where he has completed three out of four years of medical school and currently taking "a break" to pursue an MBA at the Business School.
"Halfway through my first year of Medical School, I decided to pursue a business program in the hopes of gaining the knowledge needed to make positive changes in healthcare delivery and reduce disparities in the field, "said Williams.
Both Hughes and Williams were academic standouts at CSU Pueblo where Derrick had a 3.99 grade point average in Biology (Bio-medical Science) and EXHPR (General Exercise Science). Bailey had a 3.93 undergraduate GPA in Liberal Studies and a 4.0 graduate GPA in Education (Instructional Technology.
On the cross country courses and on the track, the couple continued to excel.
After starting her collegiate career at Carroll College in Montana, Hughes helps the Pack to berths in the NCAA Cross Country Championships in both 2015 and 2016. On the track, Hughes was a four-time national qualifier and closed her CSU Pueblo career with school records in the mile, and 3,000- and 10,000- meter runs along with the distance medley relay.
To close her career, Hughes was honored with the Threlkeld Prize for Excellence (top graduating senior) at CSU Pueblo in 2016. She then served two seasons at the Pack's women's cross country coach (2018 and 2019) while assisting in track and field.
Like his wife, Williams also received the Threlkeld Prize of Excellence in 2019. As an athlete, he qualified for the NCAA Division II Championships 10 times and earned 14 All-America accolades in his career. He recorded five Top 3 performances at national championships and claimed six individual RMAC titles.
Williams served as a team captain for both the cross country and track and field programs and was honored as both the CSU Pueblo and Blasing Track & Field Athlete of the Year award. He was a two-time RMAC Summit Award winner, a five-time RMAC Runner of the Year honoree and a three-time NCAA Division II Elite 90 Award recipient.
Both Hughes and Williams were asked questions for this article and here are their answers.
Why did you pick CSU Pueblo to attend as a student and athlete?
Hughes - "I chose CSU Pueblo because of Coach Morris. He had previously coached me at Carroll College and when he accepted the job at CSU Pueblo, I came to visit the school. I ran for Carroll College for one year and saw a lot of improvement. I wanted to see how much faster I could be running for Coach Morris at CSU Pueblo in Division II. After I visited the school, I fell in love with Colorado and knew I wanted to make the transfer."
Williams - "My journey to CSU Pueblo can be described as serendipitous. Initially, I was recruited to run at a small college in central Montana, but when Coach Morris left, I restarted the recruiting process. Coach Morris convinced me to come with him to CSU Pueblo, where I helped start the men's program."
What were your top memories while attending CSU Pueblo?
Hughes - "I have too many top memories to count. I loved my time training- running so many miles each week with teammates makes those teammates very close friends. I loved traveling for races too. We got to see so many states and different cities because of cross country and track and I will always hold those memories dear."
Williams - "Whenever I reconnect with my teammates, we fondly reminisce about the unforgettable moments. It's challenging to pinpoint the top memories because there are so many, and I'm sure I've forgotten many. However, one standout memory is from the first year of the men's team, where we narrowly missed first place at NCAA D-II Nationals in the distance medley relay by losing to Adams State by just a few hundredths of a second. Although I didn't secure a DMR win during my eligibility, the most emotional moment during my time with CSU Pueblo Track and Field was when the team achieved victory in my final year of assistant coaching."
Were any coaches, teachers, or teammates who helped you while attending CSU Pueblo?
Hughes - "Coach Morris was the person I always leaned on for help with running. He helped me be as fast as I could, train harder, race with more confidence, be a better team captain, and taught me about running and coaching. I also had wonderful professors who mentored me through my education classes. My advisor Dr. Massey was incredibly important to the career decisions I made, and I still think about her advice and classes while I am teaching today. As for teammates, many were incredible, but two people who I always looked up to was Jordan Mathes (now Jordan Vassell) and Shelby Sweeney (now Shelby Hutson). They were both always there for the tough days and always happy to celebrate the wins. They both were the most selfless teammates I have ever had."
Williams - "There is an abundance of individuals at CSU Pueblo who left an indelible mark on my journey. Firstly, Coach Morris played a pivotal role in my decision to choose CSU Pueblo, and his unwavering support made his family feel like my second family away from home. Dr. Annette Gabaldon, who served as my research project's primary investigator, exhibited exceptional patience as she guided me through the intricacies of my thesis. Her invaluable feedback and guidance were instrumental in refining my experimental designs."
"Teammates Devundrick Walker and Alec Choury not only kept the team's spirits high but also helped navigate the occasional challenges that arose, owing to my at times intense personality. Dr. Jennifer Fitzpatrick, an accomplished orthopedic surgeon at Parkview, served as a profound inspiration for my transition into the field of medicine. Observing her dedication to patient care and surgical expertise convinced me that my future was destined for the realm of healthcare, rather than coaching collegiate athletics."
"Finally, I must pay tribute to the late Dr. Dan Caprioglio, whose influence was instrumental in bridging the gap between my academic pursuits and athletic endeavors. His generosity with both his time and insights left an enduring impact, and I am forever grateful for the privilege of crossing paths with him before his untimely departure."
What about coaching at CSU Pueblo?
Hughes - "Coaching comes with many ups and downs. For every success we see there are many failures and difficult days of training. Looking back now I treasure and appreciate both the amazing days of coaching when everything clicks for your athletes, and they reach their goals and I treasure all of the difficult days that they come crying to you or you are pulling your hair out trying to figure out what went wrong with a workout or race. The challenges make success so much sweeter. One of my favorite memories is the women's DMR scoring fourth at Indoor Nationals in 2019. At the beginning of the season we sat down as a group and wrote down on a sticky note the times all four athletes needed to run to hit a qualifying time to make indoor nationals in the DMR. The athletes trained their hearts out and qualified with plenty of time to spare. For most of them it was their first national meet, and I could see the nerves rolling off of each one. We had our race plan, and each athlete executed the plan perfectly. They ran faster than they had before, put their fears and pain behind them for each other, and scored the highest of any CSU Pueblo women's DMR up to that point. I was beyond proud of their efforts running, but I was prouder of the challenges they had overcome during the season to get them there. I still have the sticky note we looked at each day of the season leading up to nationals."
