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

PAC-12 SCHOLAR-ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

STANFORD - UCLA's Abby Van Winkle has been named the Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2023 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.

Van Winkle is currently pursuing a graduate degree in project management and has a 3.95 cumulative graduate grade-point-average. She has been named to the UCLA Athletic Director Honor Roll (3.0+ GPA in 12+ graded units) nine times and completed her undergraduate degree with a 3.68 GPA. The 2019 Pac-12 All-Freshman Team recipient went on to clinch the final point in the 2019 NCAA National Championship and earn herself a spot on the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team.

In 2022, Van Winkle became a First Team AVCA All-American and claimed her third appearance on the U.S Beach Collegiate National Team. Finishing the 2022 season with an overall record of 30-11, Van Winkle has continued to dominate the 2023 season with a current 28-6 record between courts one and two.

Van Winkle is the third Bruin to earn Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year in beach volleyball (Izzy Carey - 2019, Lea Monkhouse - 2022) and the 21st recipient from UCLA 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; Sarah Waters, ASU; Lexi Mckeown, CAL; Bea Wetton, ORE; Charlie Ekstrom, STAN; Natalie Robinson, WASH.