Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Athletics

Nicole Bonk started out as a member of the Embry-Riddle women's soccer team in the fall of 2009, playing in eight matches for the Eagles as a freshman. In the spring of 2010, she moved to the track and in the fall of that year she made the decision to give up soccer and focus on cross country and track.
 
Prior to Embry-Riddle, Bonk had never competed in racewalking and took up the discipline at the suggestion of Assistant Track & Field coach Peter Hopfe. It turns out she was a natural in that event.
 
In just her first season of racewalking competition in 2011, Bonk won gold at The Sun Conference championships and qualified for the both the NAIA Indoor and Outdoor National Championship racewalking events.
 
The 2012 season proved to be a breakout year for Bonk. She was crowned National Champion in the 3000m Racewalk at the NAIA Indoor National Championships and became just the second ERAU track & field student-athlete to win multiple national titles in the same year, claiming her second national championship in the 5000m Racewalk at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships.
 
Bonk qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 20,000m Racewalk after posting a time of 1:46:49.00 at a special racewalk event at the ERAU Track & Field Complex. She placed 11th out of 15 competitors at the Trials and followed that performance by representing the United States at the 2012 North America, Central American and Caribbean Islands Under-23 Championships. She brought home a bronze medal for the US in the 10,000m Racewalk.
 
Bonk secured her third national title in 2013. She won the 3000m Racewalk at the NAIA Indoor National Championships in 13:53.63, which was an NAIA and collegiate record at the time.
 
Bonk capped her career as a three-time national champion and a four-time All-American. She also garnered second team All-Sun Conference recognition twice in cross country and earned track and field All-Conference honors in the 5000m run and as a member of the 4x800m relay team.
 
At the time of her induction, Bonk still held both the ERAU indoor and outdoor records for the 5000m Racewalk.
 
Bonk graduated from Embry-Riddle with a degree in Unmanned Aircraft Systems Science. She is now the Head of Flight Testing at Skydio in Redwood City, California.
 
"It was my privilege to coach Nicole on both the ERAU cross country and track teams. Some of Nicole's championship characteristics are perseverance, competitive drive, intelligence, hardworking, focus and the ability to adapt to change. These characteristics separated her from the rest, and she became a National Champion. Her mental toughness in workouts and competition ranks her as one of the top athletes I have ever coached, not just for her unbelievable athletic resume but the fact that she made me expand my horizons and become a better coach."
- Peter Hopfe
Assistant Coach, Embry-Riddle Cross Country/Track & Field (2005-present)
 
"Nicole has always been a team player. On the track, both at practice and at competitions, Nicole carried a positive outlook and was always full of infectious energy. This had a direct impact on the rest of the team. She had a way of uplifting and making the team better. While excelling individually in racewalking, she remained committed to supporting the team in relays and other events through the cross country and track seasons."
- Erika Langhauser
Embry-Riddle Cross Country/Track & Field (2007-11)
 
"I remember being a senior in high school sitting with my team nervous for an upcoming race because I knew the coaches of ERAU were there and watching. An upbeat girl came over to my tent and asked to speak to me. She was dressed in an Embry-Riddle uniform and introduced herself as Nicole Bonk. Nicole came over just to wish me good luck and encourage me that her team was going to be cheering me on. Nicole's leadership pushed me to run a personal best that day and receive an athletic scholarship to ERAU. I was blessed to be able to spend two years training with Nicole on and off the track. She pushed me not only in our sport but in academics; I looked up to her for so many reasons. Track and cross country are not mentally forgiving sports so to have a teammate/captain that can remain positive, keep workouts fun but professional is an attribute any Hall of Fame inductee should possess."
- Lauren Eschbach
Embry-Riddle Cross Country/Track & Field (2012-15)
 
"Nicole was the definition of servant-leader. She was a kind, spirited individual who was always very inclusive, especially to the younger girls on the team. She took many of them under her wing and showed them what it meant to be a successful woman on and off the track. She showed compassion to everyone equally. To me, she was the kind of person you could look up to and depend on. As a young freshman trying to grasp at a new reality, her consistency in kindness and compassion was vital to our growth."
- Paul Meesala
Embry-Riddle Cross Country/Track & Field (2012-16)
 
 "Nicole is the total package, the Student, Person, Player, but when I was thinking about what to write for this letter I kept coming back to her fearlessness in the face of challenges and how she has always managed to shine through them. As a student, she was one of the first graduates of the Unmanned Systems program. As an athlete she was totally unafraid of conquering a new event. As a person she was the life of any conversation you walked into with her. She has a delightful off-kilter sense of humor and is welcoming of everyone."
 - Ellie Staker
Embry-Riddle Cross Country/Track & Field (2011-15)
Embry-Riddle Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2021