Rob Zagunis (back row, left) led OSU to its first ever event title at the 1975 National Intercollegiate Rowing Championships in the varsity 4. He was the first OSU crew athlete to be named to the U.S. National Team, and was a member of the 1976 Olympic team.
Basketball became an intercollegiate sport for women at OSU in 1972. Lagastee was a four-sport athlete at OSU – she also played field hockey and softball, and was on the track and field team.
Payton, who played at OSU from 1986 to 1990 and started every game of his OSU career, is likely the greatest basketball player in OSU history. Among his honors were consensus All-American First Team (1990), Pac-10 Player of the Year (1990), Sports Illustrated Player of the Year (1990), Pac-10 Freshman of the Year (1987), Olympic gold medals for the United States team in the 1996 and 2000 games, and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2013). He is the all-time leading scorer at OSU (2,172 points) and the Pac-12’s all-time leader in assists (938) and steals (321). Professionally, he played most of his career with the Seattle Supersonics.
The natatorium, completed just before this photograph was taken, was the second phase of the recreation center. Phase one opened in 1976, and phase three was completed in 2004. The natatorium was named for George Stevens, Memorial Union director from 1963 to 1990 and a strong proponent of recreational sports at OSU.
Spoelstra played at OSU for two seasons, 1982 and 1983, earning second team All-American honors in 1983. She returned to OSU in 1995 to inherit basketball head coaching duties from her former coach, Aki Hill. Spoelstra coached the team for ten seasons, compiling an overall record of 133 wins and 158 losses. Her teams played in the 1996 NCAA tournament and in the WNIT from 2001 to 2004. She received Pac-10 coach of the year honors in 2000, and was named to the OSU Sports Hall of Fame in 1994
Ayotte-Law earned All-American status in 1981 (beam) and 1982 (floor and all-around). She was the second OSU gymnast to win a national championship, claiming the floor exercise title in 1982. Ayotte-Law also represented the United States in the 1981 World University Games in Romania, placing as the highest all-around gymnast. This photo appeared in the January 1982 Oregon Stater.
The team included (from left) Kris Trom, Karen Brown, Julia Anderson, Janet Lovelace and Jenny Bird. Lovelace placed fifth at the regionals in 1977 and twenty-sixth at the AIWA championships in 1978.