Central Oklahoma's soccer program has long been known for its offensive prowess, but the Bronchos have also showcased outstanding defense throughout their history. And ranking among the best defenders in school history is Stephanie (Gulisao) Baugh.
Baugh came to UCO in 2001 from Claremore High School and promptly became one of the top defenders in the Lone Star Conference during an exceptional four-year career that saw her play in 82 games with 75 starts. She helped lead the Bronchos to 63 wins, two league titles and two NCAA Division II national tournament appearances.
Stephanie was an honorable mention All-LSC selection as a true freshman in 2001 when UCO went 15-6-2 and finished as conference runner-up. She came back as a sophomore to earn first-team All-LSC honors as the Bronchos went 20-3-1 in winning the league title and making the national tournament.
Baugh was a dominating force during her junior season in 2002, spearheading a UCO defense that registered 11 shutouts. She garnered LSC Defensive Player of the Year accolades and was a second-team All-Midwest Region pick as the Bronchos again qualified for the Division II playoffs.
Stephanie followed with an even better season in 2003 in guiding Central to another league title. She repeated as LSC Defensive Player of the Year, was a first-team All-Midwest Region honoree and became UCO's first-ever soccer All-American.
In this week's installment of our look back at some of Central's past athletic greats, here's a brief conversation with Stephanie (Gulisao) Baugh.
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Degree(s) earned at UCO:Â Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology
How did UCO prepare you for success: I learned so much as a student-athlete at UCO that helped prepare for success. One of the most important being time management.Â
Favorite memory at Central:Â I have so many wonderful memories at UCO that it's hard to only pick one, but I feel like the road trips were the most memorable!
Best thing about going to UCO: There are many great things about attending UCO. The best would most definitely be the relationships formed while I was there. Many of those relationships are still close friends today!
Who were your favorite professors, coaches, etc: All of the professors and coaches were incredible at UCO. They were understanding, patient and really wanted you to succeed. Coach Cook has to be one of my faves. He truly cared about the game, about you and would go out of his way to try to reach each athlete and help them become not only a better player but a person as well.
If you could give advice to a current student-athlete at UCO, what would it be: Take care of business, have fun and always try to do the next right thing.Â
Career path: After graduating from UCO, I attended physical therapy assistant school. From there I worked as a PTA in the outpatient and home health setting, before taking a little break to stay at home with our son.Â
Where do you currently live: Tulsa, Okla.
Family: My husband Dylan and I have been married for 12 years. We have one pretty amazing son, Royce (4), and an aussiedoodle, Walshie.Â
