Grace Beyer now 2x NAIA First-Team All-American
The University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy's Grace Beyer on Tuesday was named as an NAIA's First-Team All-American for the 2022-2023 women's basketball season.
It is the second straight designation as a First-Team All-American for Beyer as she was also given the honor last year. It is the fifth time a Eutectic athlete has been named as an All-American and Beyer now joins David Baker as the only UHSP athlete to have ever received the award multiple times. Baker earned two All-America awards in the Indoor Mile (2011, 2012). Jordan Robertson is the only other Eutectic to reach All-American status having received it in 2013 for track and field in the javelin. The University's membership to the NAIA began in 1993.
Beyer has received multiple postseason accolades following the best season in UHSP Women's Basketball history as the Eutectics finished 21-8. During the regular season, Beyer was four times named the NAIA National Player of the Week and was named the American Midwest Conference Player of the Week 11 times. She was also named the AMC Player of the Year for this season. Last week, she was named the College Sports Communicators NAIA Academic All-America Player of the Year and also named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's All-America Team.
The rest of the NAIA All-American First Team includes: Kaitlynn Wilks (Campbellsville, KY), Jamie Pickens (Carroll, MT), Leianya Massenat (Central Methodist, MO), Hannah DeMars (Jamestown, ND), Ella Collier (Marian, IN), Jordan Zrust (Mayville State, ND), Brynley Fitzgerald (Montana Western), Ella Skeens (Rio Grande, OH), Kertisa Amos (Texas Wesleyan), Melissa Akullu (Vanguard, CA) and Stefanie Berberabe (Westmost, CA). The only other American Midwest Conference players to be named to the All-America list were Mallory Shetley (Columbia) and Tionne Taylor (Missouri Baptist) who were both named to the Honorable Mention list. Iowa Wesleyan will be newcomers to the AMC next season and the Tigers placed Isabell West and Kyla Moore on the All-America Honorable Mention list as well.
During the 2022-23 season, Beyer scored 937 total points including a conference record, school record and new personal high on January 12 when she dumped 59 points on Columbia College leading UHSP to their first-ever win over the Cougars. She led the nation in scoring for the second straight year, this season averaging 32.3 points-per-game. Beyer is the all-time leading scorer in school history now sitting on 2,910 career points.
Beyer said a number of times throughout the season that one of her goals was to be named the NAIA's Player of the Year. That and a trip to the National Tournament might the only two things missing from Beyer's list of accomplishments this season as Ella Collier of Marian University (Ind.) was named the 2022-23 NAIA Player of the Year. The Eutectics also missed a guaranteed trip to the National Tournament by one win in the AMC Tournament Semifinals with a loss to Missouri Baptist and did not receive an at-large invite to the tournament. Beyer has also stated that she is unsure if she will return for a final season of eligibility in 2023-24 with the Eutectics. Perhaps missing those two career achievements from her resume will be enough to drive Beyer to return for one more season.