McCullough Selected Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of Year
November 19, 2019 | Women's Soccer
UCLA senior defender Kaiya McCullough (Mission Viejo, Calif.) has been named the 2019 Pac-12 Women's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
McCullough holds a 3.73 cumulative GPA in Political Science and is set to graduate in December. The Bruins' center back has started every game she has played at UCLA โ 88 games in total, including 72 games in a row. The only game she did not play in her career was due to illness on Oct. 23, 2016. McCullough is a two-time second-team All-Pac-12 honoree, earning honors in 2019 and 2017. She was also second-team All-Region in 2017, a Pac-12 All-Freshman selection in 2016 and a three-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week. Under McCullough's watch this season, the Bruin defense has posted 10 shutouts and a 0.79 goals against average. UCLA opponents have been limited to single-digit shots in 15 of 20 games.
Academic honors have abounded for McCullough over her career. She is a two-time honorable mention Pac-12 All-Academic honoree and earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors in 2017. She received the Athletic Director's Academic Excellence Award in 2019 for making the Director's Honor Roll every quarter she has been at UCLA and earned a 4.0 GPA in two of those quarters.
McCullough is also a strong leader in the community as an outspoken leader for equality and social justice. She was selected to participate in a 2019 UCLA panel discussion highlighting athletes, social justice and activism, and the legacy of Jackie Robinson. Additionally, she and her UCLA teammates led the Women's March LA in 2019. She has also been an active participant in several community service ventures, including visits to Mattel Children's Hospital and to elementary schools for Reading Across America.
McCullough becomes just the second UCLA women's soccer player ever to receive the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, joining Sarah Killion, who won in 2014.
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% of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum of 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 athletic accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in the voting for the award.
