DEARBORN, Mich. – The University of Michigan-Dearborn Department of Athletics & Recreation is proud to announce the winners of the 2019-20 Chancellor's Awards.
The 2019-20 UM-Dearborn Chancellor's Award winners are Victoria Hebda from women's cross country and Ryan Beadle from baseball.
The Chancellor's Award nominees must demonstrate distinguished leadership and extraordinary commitment to the community and to the university. Head coaches nominate student-athletes and the All-Sports Banquet Committee votes upon the nominees.
Victoria Hebda
Hebda has been a leader in competition, the classroom and in the community for the Wolverine women's cross country team since joining the program three years ago. The Trenton, Mich., native was one of the top performers for the Wolverines at every race in 2019 including finishing the WHAC Championships as the second UM-Dearborn runner across the line in 36th-place overall. Her finish pushed the Wolverines to a program-best sixth-place showing at the event.
In addition, Hebda is a two-year team captain for the Wolverines, a UM-Dearborn Difference Maker, a Chancellor's Scholarship Recipient, and is involved in numerous university organizations. She is an NAIA Scholar-Athlete, member of the WHAC All-Academic Team, and is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree.
"This award is special to me because I do try to put myself out there in the community, classroom and as a teammate," Hebda said. "The pandemic has made it challenging to keep up with those qualities, but I feel I was able to do so."
UM-Dearborn head coach Joe Horka highlighted the initiative taken by Hebda and others on the team to keep engagement and morale high within the cross country program during the pandemic.
"As we have grown, we have brought a lot of unity, and we are working as a team," Hebda added. "We are able to push each other. If you work this hard, you can achieve more."
Hebda is the third women's cross country student-athlete to receive the award and first since Emily Eccleton in 2016-17. She is a double major at UM-Dearborn in Economics and Industrial Systems Engineering. Hebda looks forward to a career of combining ethics and giving back with engineering.
Ryan Beadle
The final season of his career did not end the way he had hoped, cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, but Ryan Beadle continued to play a major role in setting up the Wolverine baseball team for future success.
"Ryan has been the unquestioned leader of our team since the first day of the program," UM-Dearborn head coach Matt Cunningham said. "He performs and represents us on the field and off the field. He helps organize team functions and cares about all aspects of the program and team – selflessly putting his teammates before himself."
Beadle joined the Wolverines prior to the program's first season in 2017-18, transferring from Muskegon Community College. The Kalamazoo, Mich., native immediately provided power in the middle of the UM-Dearborn lineup and produced on the field for his entire career. In three seasons, Beadle recorded 113 hits, five home runs, 71 RBIs, 23 doubles, 31 walks, 66 runs, and batted .323.
Beadle is a WHAC All-Academic Team honoree and was named to the All-WHAC First Team in 2019. He is the program record holder for home runs in a season (4), career doubles, career RBIs, and is tied for the career lead in hits.
"Obviously being a part of the first team, we began with some adversity and ended with more," Beadle said. "We left the program in a better spot and I have grown as a person through my time here too."
Beadle is currently enrolled in law school at the University of Toledo and remains involved in baseball through coaching while working to receive his certification as a high school umpire.
The Chancellor's Award was established in 2015 and is given out annually at the UM-Dearborn All-Sports Banquet. Due to the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, UM-Dearborn was unable to host the event in 2020.
