Posted with permission, article and pictures, courtesy of University of Hawaii Hilo
Multi-Award Winner Selected as the PacWest Conference Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Graduated UH Hilo volleyball star Bria Beale gathered so many awards during her four seasons as a Vulcan that she probably can’t list or remember them all.
Today she was honored as the Pacific West Conference Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, which might be the biggest and certainly the most fitting of her magnificent career. The 5-foot-11 outside hitter carried a 4.0 grade point average through the spring semester in her graduate major of Psychology and Mental Health Counseling, and she had an undergraduate GPA of 3.90 in Communication.
Beale is just the third Vulcan in school history to be named in as a PacWest Scholar Athlete of the Year, joining Olivia Jarvis (2021 Cross Country) and Daelenn Tokunaga (2022 Women’s Soccer). The PacWest began voting on the awards in 2009.
“Bria is the embodiment of a stellar student-athlete,” said her coach Chris Leonard. “Many excel in academics or athletics, but Bria is one of the few that I have had the privilege to work with that is truly elite in the classroom and on the court. This award is a testament to her hard work and is a well-deserved addition to her illustrious career at Hawai’i Hilo.”
Beale, who played one season at UC Irvine before transferring to UH Hilo in 2018, was named a First Team All-PacWest selection four times. She is just one of ten players in conference history to be named all four seasons. The Eastvale, Calif. native was also a two-time D2CCA All-West Region pick.
This past Fall, Beale led the PacWest in kills per set (3.93) and total points per set (4.41). She finished her career with over 1,000 kills, 1,000 digs and 100 service aces, an elite club. She leaves the Vulcan program listed second all-time in kills (1,311), third in digs (1,206) and fifth in aces (112).
In 2021 Beale was UH Hilo’s first-ever First Team Academic All-American (CoSIDA) and was an All-District Academic pick three different times. Lastly, she was a NCAA Woman of the Year Semifinalist last Fall, one of just ten student-athletes in Division II. As the Pacific West Conference representative, she advanced further in the process than any other student-athlete in UH Hilo history.
To see the complete list of PacWest Scholar-Athletes of the Year, click here. PacWest Announces 2022 Scholar-Athletes of the Year – The Pacwest Conference
