Senior Spotlight: Ryliegh Beck, Penn State New Kensington
Welcome to our Senior Spotlight series. In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the PSUAC had to cancel its fall and winter sport seasons. This prevented several student-athletes from receiving a proper senior day and minimized opportunities for Player of the Week awards. In its place, we will highlight seniors from around the conference throughout the remainder of the semester.
See more Senior Spotlight highlights on our Twitter (@psuac) and Instagram (psuac)!
Name: Ryliegh Beck
Campus: New Kensington
Primary Sport: Women's Basketball
Primary Position(s): Guard
Hometown: Saegertown, PA
High School: Maplewood Jr/Sr High School
Major: Psychology
Academic Achievements: 2019-2020 PSUAC Academic All-Conference
Athletic Achievements: 2019-2020 PSUAC John Fritz Sportsmanship Award; 2019-2020 New Kensington MVP
How did your Penn State education prepare you for life after graduation? PSNK education prepared me for life after graduation in many ways. It taught me everything about psychology, how to manage my time well and how to be independent.
How do you hope to be remembered by teammates and coaches? I hope to be remember by my teammates and coaches as someone who never gave up, was a good leader, worked hard on and off the court and was always there for my team.
What is your favorite memory from playing your sport at Penn State? My favorite memory from playing basketball at PSNK would be when we won our first game. It felt like all our hard work finally paid off.
What is the best advice you ever received from a coach or teammate that you would share with other student-athletes? The best advice I have received from a coach would be to never stop learning. No matter how much you know, there will always be things to learn.
What are you most looking forward to post graduation? Or in your transition to University Park (or other campus) to finish your degree? Post graduation I am looking forward to finding a job in my field and making lots of money.
What are some of the tools or skills that you learned through all the years of playing your sport that you plan to instill once you enter the workforce? Some skills I learned through basketball that I will be able to use once I enter the workforce are how to work well with others and be a good leader.
What impact did athletics have on your experience as a college student? What is your favorite memory outside of athletics during your time as a student-athlete? Athletics had a huge impact on my college experience. It shaped me into the person I am today. My favorite memory outside of athletics would be hanging out with my friends I made at PSNK and watching movies every night.
Please use this space to thank anyone you wish to acknowledge for their support during your academic and athletic career. I would like to thank my family and boyfriend for always believing in me, Coach Meaghan and Coach Marshall for pushing me as a player, Shay and Deshaya for always staying after practice with me to put shots up, my teammates for always motivating me, Megan and Tracy for all they did for the athletic teams, Larissa for keeping all the players healthy, and all the teachers who pushed me academically.