“It was such an honor to be nominated,” Eggleston said, according to the organization. “There are so many amazing student-athletes across the country who are going through their own journeys and their own hardships and finding ways to power through, find success and just grow as people. To be listed alongside some of these amazing student-athletes is incredible, and I’m so honored to have even been considered.”

The 23-year-old graduated with a degree in business administration and management. She was team captain for three years and helped her team win the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship. It’s not Eggleston’s first time receiving a distinction for her role as a volleyball player. That same year, she was named the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player and the AVCA National Player of the Year.

“The thing I’m most proud of from my time at Texas is definitely winning a national championship,” Eggleston said, qualifying her time at the university as “unforgettable.”

“I will never forget the memories I made and the relationships that I created. I know my time there is going to impact me for the rest of my life,” she added.

Eggleston also served as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at the University of Texas for two years. She helped fund nonprofit organizations working for diverse communities and raised money for athletic equipment and sports opportunities for underprivileged youth in Austin.

“One thing I really wanted during my college career was to grow as a person and develop outside of volleyball,” Eggleston said. “(Being president of SAAC) was a great opportunity for me to build relationships, grow as a leader and learn who I was outside of my sport.”

The 23-year-old’s achievements led her to represent student-athletes during College Athlete Day, an event held at the White House in June.

“It was one of the craziest and coolest experiences,” she said. “I got to be inside the White House and stand on stage beside Vice President Kamala Harris. I talked about the sacrifice, hard work and commitment that it takes to compete for a national championship and got to share my feelings, knowing that everyone in the crowd had the same experience and knew exactly what I was talking about.”

In 2023, Eggleston played her first professional season for Galatasaray Sports Club in Turkey while working toward her master’s in sports management from Texas. She will transfer to League One Volleyball in Austin and start playing in November 2024.

“Volleyball is taking over America. We’ve seen so many records broken over the past few years, and it’s so exciting to finally be able to see volleyball in America come to life,” she told the organization. “It’s going to be a league that’s going to be able to compete with any league in the whole world, and I’m proud to be a part of LOVB.”