A Championship Legacy

When looking back on their time as a Texas A&M student, most people’s favorite memories involve the university’s traditions or student organizations. 

For former track athlete Jessica Beard, winning not one--but three--NCAA Championships is what she cherishes most about her time in Aggieland.

“My favorite memories are always surrounded by my teammates and what we were able to achieve while we were at A&M,” Beard said. “Winning the first one and doing something that had never [been] done before at Texas A&M and continuing that for the next three years, that was just the best – the best feeling to get it started and to keep it going.”

Although Beard’s Aggie ties remain, she admittedly experienced culture shock upon arriving in College Station. The Cleveland, Ohio native grew accustomed to hearing people say ‘Howdy,’ among other things.

When asked what prompted interest in the Aggies’ track and field program, Beard said one closed door led to the opening of another, and opportunity came knocking.

“I chose [A&M] because, on paper, it was the best choice for me and a school where I could continue the legacy that had kind of just started in the 400-meter with Clora Williams winning a national championship a couple of years before I got there,” Beard said. “So, I was like ‘man, if one person can do it, then I can do it as well.’”

Beard not only continued laying that foundation, but blazed her own trail by accumulating a long list of accomplishments and accolades of her own.

While contributing to three team national championship titles, Beard became a four-year letterwinner, 16-time All-American, the 2011 Big 12 Indoor Athlete of The Year and recipient of the 2011 Bowerman Award – oftentimes referred to as the Heisman Trophy of track and field. In 2017, Beard was inducted into A&M’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

Although she no longer wears an A&M race bib, the decorated track star continues to train and compete as a professional athlete. Beard attributes her career in the Maroon and White to equipping her to be successful beyond the collegiate level. In addition to becoming familiar with the racing format through NCAA meets, Beard benefited from her teammates challenging and encouraging her.

“Several of my teammates went on to be Olympians, Olympic gold medalists, World Championship finalists and things of that sort,” Beard said. “Just being in a culture that breeds excellence and asks you to be your best at the hardest moments -- which is championships -- was really influential and really helped prepare my mindset on what is needed and what’s necessary to not only perform on the next level, but to sustain and have a career of longevity on the professional league level.”

Despite all of the preparation, she admits the journey has been nothing short of a juggling act. 

Several years after earning a Bachelor’s degree in psychology, Beard returned to Texas A&M to pursue a Master’s in sport management, which she graduated with in December 2021. Although graduate school and her training schedule presented difficult demands, Beard said splitting her time between the two forced her to find balance.

“You really do [have to love it] because every athlete doesn’t get a contract and every athlete doesn’t get a sponsor, so realizing that you might be paying out of pocket and kind of funding your own dreams,” Beard said. “You might not have all the glitz and the glam but making sure you have joy in doing what you’re doing and what you’re pursuing to get to your goal and just believing in yourself is important.”

Now with new goals in mind and a sole focus on training, Beard does her best to maintain that optimistic perspective as she strives to make the World Athletics Championships this summer.

Despite Beard’s motivation and determination being at an all-time high, she does not deny the reality of retirement possibly being on the horizon. Beard credits her recent experience of interning with A&M’s track and field program to helping her envision what life as a retired athlete could entail.

As an intern, she assisted the Aggies with everything from overseeing workouts to lending a hand with recruiting visits. One of her biggest takeaways from the experience includes a more-informed understanding of all that goes on behind-the-scenes of an athletic program.

“When I hang up the spikes, I think the biggest thing is that I just want to continue to help student-athletes, whether that’s at the high school level or collegiate level – something where I’m able to be a servant and serve the athletes,” Beard said. “I would love to be somebody’s director of operations or coach or something with athlete engagement or services with the student-athletes themselves.”

While the future remains unknown, one thing is certain: more than anything else, Beard hopes to be remembered for the kind of competitor she is, whether win, lose or draw.

“I hope [my legacy] would just be that I was able to, in the midst of being a competitor, that I was respectful, and I still had a light [and] that people enjoyed competing against me and saw me as not only as a great competitor, but a great person,” Beard said.