Tylar Beckham wins a scholar award

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Mass communication junior Tylar Beckham reached for the volleyball in a match at The Den on Sep. 25 2018. Photo credit: Loyola New Orleans Athletics

Rosha'e Gibson

Wolf Pack Athletics continues to thrive on and off the court as yet another athlete has received an award for her performance in the classroom.

Tylar Beckham, mass communication senior, has been known for her impact on the volleyball court. However, her work off the court has earned her her most recent honor.

Beckham has just been named the 2018 Daktronics-National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Scholar-Athlete. The award is given to those student-athletes who have shown exceptional success in their studies as well as their field of sports.

She is no stranger to these kind of accomplishments as she was recently named to the Southern States Athletic Conference All-Academic Team in back-to-back seasons.

“It feels great to win an award like that one,” Beckham said when asked about the academic accolade.

Beckham is receiving the award following her final season with the Wolf Pack and she plans to use the honor as new-found motivation.

“It gives me all the motivation in the world to keep working harder,” Beckham said. “Just because I’m graduating doesn’t mean the work stops.”

Head Volleyball Coach Jesse Zabal stressed the importance of academics and is impressed with how well Beckham has managed to balance them with her athletic responsibilities.

“Tylar has been a great asset to our team on the court, but she has also committed herself to her studies,” Zabal said. “While we focus very much on our success within competition, the academic side is just as important to the overall success of our program.”

Beckham credited Zabal for encouraging student athletes to excel in their studies.

“Coach Jesse pushes each and everyone of us to be the best students we can be,” Beckham said. “She really cares about us, not just as athletes, but as students and young adults. She makes sure that we always have a healthy balance of volleyball and academics, and because of that I’ve been much more successful in the classroom than ever before.”

Beckham also credited her personal work ethic for her success. She claims that this is due in-part to the overall culture put in place by the coaching staff.

“They make me want to do as much as I can on and off court because they invest so much into us, not only as a team, but as individuals,” Beckham said. “They make me want to be the best student-athlete that I can be, and I think I was so successful academically and athletically because they pushed me to work hard from day one.”

Beckham led her team with 337 kills and 146 total blocks this past season. Beckham is also ranked 11 in the National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics Division I with 146 total blocks and 24 in blocks per set with 1.13.

Beckham has been praised by Zabal for what she has accomplished in the classroom and expects nothing less from the volleyball star.

“Tylar has done a great job of meeting and exceeding those expectations, and continues to help us reach our team academic goals,” Zabal said. “We’re very proud of her for this achievement.”