Eastern New Mexico University Athletics is proud to announce the 36th class that will be welcomed into the Eastern New Mexico Hall of Honors consisting of Norma Stroik (support), Leroy Chavez (cross country), Jeff Thibodeaux (baseball), Layla Turner (tennis), Isaiah Samoei (cross country and track and field), and Jessie Poku (football).
The Class of 2019 will officially be inducted at the annual Hall of Honors banquet that is scheduled to take place on Friday, Oct. 11, 2019 inside the Campus Union Building at 6 p.m. The honorees will be recognized at halftime of the Eastern New Mexico football game against Tarleton State on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019.
“On behalf of the ENMU Athletics Hall of Honors selections committee, we are excited to announce this special class of inductees,” Eastern New Mexico Athletic Director Dr. Greg Waggoner said, “This class is particularly diverse and will represent the “Hall” well.”
The inductees have been selected following nomination from their peers and a vote from the ENMU Hall of Honors Committee consisting of distinguished members from across the Greyhound athletic community including: Charles Chambers, Thurman Elder, Bill Joy, Mike Maguire, Wayne Moore, Kathleen Salter, Mike Howard, Buck Wilson and Jennifer Poyer.
Norma Stroik has been synonymous with Eastern New Mexico Athletics for more than 30 years and served as the department’s administrative office coordinator for 16 years. Stroik was considered by many to be the face of ENMU Athletics during that time, regularly attending athletic events, coordinating season ticket sales and multiple other athletic events such as the Homecoming Golf Tournament and Athletic Hall of Honors Banquet.
Stroik began her relationship with Eastern New Mexico in 1978 as a student and held three other roles on campus before transitioning over to her prominent position within the athletic department. She earned her bachelor’s degree in 1999 and was the recipient of the Spirit of Eastern Award in 2007.
After nearly 30 years of service to the university, Stroik was presented with the Athletic Club Faculty/Staff Member of the Year Award for the 2012-13 season and decided to retire from her full time position within the athletic department. She continues to stay involved with ENMU Athletics and the student-athletes in her current position of athletic insurance coordinator and continues to embody the heart and soul of what it means to support ENMU Athletics.
Leroy Chavez competed on the Eastern New Mexico cross country team during the years of 1970-74 and earned NAIA District 7 All-District honors all four years of his collegiate career. Chavez was a vital member of the record setting 1973 NAIA National Championship and 1971 NAIA National Runner-Up teams and was inducted into the New Mexico Track and Cross Country Hall of Fame in 2016 for his career at Eastern New Mexico and contributions to multiple high school track and cross country programs across the state.
That 1973 National Championship team outscored runner-up Malone University by 64 points at the national meet and defeated four Division I schools throughout the season that finished in the top seven of the 1973 NCAA Division I Cross Country National Championships. Chavez competed at the NAIA National Championships in all four years of his collegiate career, leading teams that consisted of three future Olympians in Mike Boit, Phillip Ndoo and Rex Maddaford to no worse than a fourth place finish.
Chavez went on to coach high school cross country and track and field in the state of New Mexico for 31 years at three different schools and still volunteers at the New Mexico State Track and Field Championships. His daughter Lynnae Chavez attended Eastern New Mexico University and lettered four years for the cross country program.
Jeff Thibodeaux competed on the Eastern New Mexico baseball team during the 1999 and 2000 seasons following a junior college career at Victor Valley College and produced a career batting average of .360 as a Greyhound while appearing in 99 total games. Thibodeaux was named Second Team All-LSC following the 2000 season in which he hit .363 for the year and totaled 37 RBI’s while also being appointed as the team captain.
Thibodeaux’s play on the field and leadership in the clubhouse helped guide the Greyhounds to a 25-21-1 record and a third place finish in the 2000 Lone Star Conference South standings. He was apart of 47 total wins during his two years in Portales and totaled 114 hits, 21 doubles, four triples and six homeruns throughout his career.
He now resides in Southern California with his two daughters and works in the pharmaceutical industry.
Layla Turner was a member of the Eastern New Mexico women’s tennis team from 1998-2002 and was a two-time Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American for her play in the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons. Turner was named the 1999 Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year after winning the singles title and the doubles title alongside Julie Stiles at the Central ITA/Rolex Regional Tournament.
Turner went on to place sixth in singles and fifth in doubles at the National ITA/Rolex Tournament in Memphis, Tenn. Her outstanding play continued into her sophomore season as she led Eastern New Mexico to a win at the regional tournament and a qualification into the NCAA Division II National Championships in Pensacola, Fla.
Her first All-American campaign in the 2000-01 season was capped off with the Greyhounds fifth consecutive qualification into the NCAA Regional Tournament following a season in which Turner finished with a record of 17-4 in singles, ranking 18th in the nation. Turner was the first ever All-American for the Eastern New Mexico women’s tennis program and capped off her illustrious Greyhound career in the 2001-02 season with another ITA All-American accolade, a third place finish at the ITA/Rolex competition, and was named the ITA Senior Player of the Year as well.
She was named to the LSC All-Academic Team three consecutive years as well as the Verizon Academic All-American District Team following her senior season.
Isaiah Samoei established himself as the most accomplished cross country runner of the NCAA era for Eastern New Mexico with back-to-back individual titles at the Lone Star Conference Championships in 2011 and 2012. Samoei finished with times of 24:25 and 24:23 in consecutive seasons and was also named UTTFCCCA All-South Central Region in both 2011 and 2012 and the LSC’s Newcomer of the Year in 2011 and Runner of the Year in 2012.
Samoei’s impact continued on to the national level in 2012 during which time he was named a UTTFCCCA All-American after finishing second at the NCAA South Central Championships and eighth at the NCAA Division II National Championships.
He continued to shine throughout his Greyhound career on the track as well, earning USTFCCCA All-American honors in the 10,000 meter run in 2012 and the 5,000 meter run in 2014, as well as USTFCCCA All-South Central Region honors in both the 5,000 meter and 10,000 meter runs. He was named to the All-Lone Star Conference Indoor or Outdoor team four separate occasions and was named the Co-Lone Star Conference Male Indoor Track Athlete of the Year in 2013 and the Lone Star Conference Male Indoor Track Athlete of the Year in 2014.
Jessie Poku was a standout wide receiver for Eastern New Mexico from 2007-10 and holds the school record for touchdown receptions in a career with 26 and receptions in a season with 86 during the 2010 campaign. Poku was named D2Football.com Honorable Mention All-American following that 2010 season in which he hauled in 86 catches for 932 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season.
That same 2010 season, Poku was also named to the Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super Region Four Third Team and was selected to compete in the 2011 Cactus Bowl upon season’s end. Poku was named First Team All-Lone Star Conference in 2010 and 2009 and was an Honorable Mention All-Lone Star Conference selection in 2008.
His name can be found all over the Greyhound record books since 1998, including third all-time in touchdowns scored with 26 and fifth all time in total points scored with 156.
For more information on tickets and to RVSP for the banquet please contact Kim Sites at 575-562-2153.