UCLA's Monkhouse named Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year

PAC-12 SCHOLAR-ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

TUCSON - UCLA's Lea Monkhouse has been named the Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2022 season, the conference announced today. The award is presented in each of the 24 sports sponsored by the Pac-12 and was established to honor collegiate student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline.

Monkhouse, who received her bachelor's in communication with a 3.72 grade-point average, is currently pursuing a graduate degree in education and has a 3.86 grade-point average in her advanced coursework. A 2019 NCAA champion and AVCA second-team All-American in 2021, Monkhouse was also named to the All-Pac-12 second team last season.

She earned the Athletic Director’s Academic Excellence Award, which is awarded to senior student-athletes who have made the Director’s Honor Roll (3.0+ GPA in 12+ graded units) every quarter they were enrolled at UCLA. Prior to arriving in Westwood, Monkhouse spent her freshman year at Hawai'i, where she was named the Big West Freshman of the Year and AVCA Top Flight Award recipient in 2018. 

Monkhouse is the second Bruin to earn Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year in beach volleyball (Izzy Carey - 2019) and the 21st recipient from UCLA Athletics all-time.

In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility), on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50 percent of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport’s regular season. The athletics accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in voting for the award.

ALSO NOMINATED: Sarah Blacker, ARIZ; Cierra Flood, ASU; Mima Mirkovic, CAL; Savannah Siegrist, ORE; Jordan McKinney, STAN; Mollie Ebertin, USC; Sage Patchell, UTAH; Natalie Robinson, WASH.