Women’s basketball player Lauren Alonzo and men’s golfer Aaron Pauls have been announced as 2024 inductees into the Cascades Hall of Fame.
The University of the Fraser Valley Athletics and Campus Recreation department, as well as the UFV Alumni Association revealed the two choices on Monday (Jan. 8).
Their induction becomes official on Jan. 20, as the UFV Alumni Association presents the Cascades Hall of Fame night with basketball home games vs. the University of Alberta Pandas and Golden Bears (women 5 p.m., men 7 p.m.).
Alonzo played four seasons for the Cascades (2000 to 2004) and helped her team capture four consecutive BCCAA gold medals, as well as a CCAA national silver medal in the 2000-01 season, and a CCAA national bronze medal in 2003-04.
She was named to the BCCAA conference second-team in 2001-02, before a phenomenal 2002-03 season that saw her named CCAA Player of the Year, BCCAA WBB Player of the Year and Athlete of the Year across all sports, a CCAA All-Canadian, Sport BC College Athlete of the Year, and part of the BCCAA Conference first-team while averaging a career best in points (14.17), rebounds (8.39), and assists per game (2.44) on the way to an undefeated regular season.
On Feb. 21, 2003, Alonzo notched a career-high 28 points and 16 rebounds against Malaspina. Alonzo closed out her career at UCFV with another BCCAA first-team selection in 2003-04, and a CCAA National Championship All-Star selection.
The Langley product appeared in 69 conference games, while tallying 9.71 points and 6.93 rebounds per game. Alonzo proved to be an impact player in the postseason as well racking up 7.95 rebounds and 9.05 points per game through 22 combined games in provincials and nationals for the Cascades.
Pauls joined the Cascades men’s golf program as a walk-on in 2009, when he was named rookie of the year. In his playing career at UFV from 2009 to2015 he went on to be named a four-time team MVP. Pauls earned a CCAA All-Canadian nod in 2013 and was named an Academic All-Canadian that same year. In the 2012-13 season, Pauls was named team captain, and led the Cascades to their first-ever CCAA national championship title, taking home CCAA individual silver medallist honours in the process.
The Chilliwack product’s crowning achievement came in 2014 when he became the first UFV golfer to compete for Team Canada in the World University Golf Championships in Switzerland. One year later, he again competed on the international stage, representing UFV and Canada at the FISU Summer Universiade in Gwangju, South Korea. In 2015 Paul’s was named UFV’s Male Athlete of the Year across all sports and captured an individual bronze medal at the Golf Canada University/College Championships.
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During his time as a player, Pauls helped his team capture three Pacwest gold medals and three Pacwest silver medals, as well as three bronze, one silver, and a gold medal at the CCAA National Championships.
Following his university playing career, Pauls returned to the Cascades as an assistant coach and helped lead the men’s golf team to two Pacwest titles, two CCAA national medals (gold in 2017, bronze in 2018), a Canadian University/College Championship (2018), and a Canada West Golf Championship (2019) before taking over as head coach of the men’s program in 2020 and leading the team to a pair of Canada West medals (silver in 2021, bronze in 2022) and a third place finish at the Canadian University/College Championship in 2023.
This year marks the seventh induction event for the Cascades Hall of Fame. It was established in 2016 and the pair will join 22 previous inductees – 11 athletes, six builders, and five teams – whose accomplishments are commemorated with plaques in the mezzanine of the UFV Athletic Centre.