Tehya Beadles is a former soccer player who attended Alabama A&M (AAMU). Tehya, who has been a captain since her sophomore year, recently led her team to become Co-Champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in her senior season. For Alabama A&M, this was the first since 2012 that they had taken the first place title. We sat down with Tehya to talk about what it has been like to be a part of a D1 Historically Black College University (HBCU) and the steps taken as a team to make it to the top.
The recruiting process
Tehya has been playing soccer since she was six years old. The recruiting process was smooth for her; she attended the right camps and tournaments and started her journey in high school. She ended up getting recruited through film and dealt with a lot of back and forth communication with her current coach. Ultimately, she decided to visit the AAMU campus, loved it, felt like the school was a perfect fit for her, and committed shortly after.
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Why an HBCU
Growing up, Tehya heard great things about HBCUs and the amazing experiences you can have throughout your four years. Part of her decision was based on the feeling of being accepted and empowered by the community on campus. Not to mention she was getting an offer to play the sport she loved while being true to herself. It was a perfect mix of both worlds and she had to take that opportunity.
Oh Captain, My Captain
Tehya is a lead by example kind of person. She works hard and puts 110% effort into everything she does. She is a take-charge kind of athlete where she would stay after practice, put in that extra work, lead the team in fitness, watch film, and communicate with her peers/coach off the field. These kinds of qualities are what allowed her to become a captain at 19 years old.
Her coach put a lot of responsibilities on her, like keeping her teammates accountable and keeping track of things. What makes her a great captain is that she is not afraid to be honest and tell her teammates the truth. She genuinely wants the best for the people around her and wanted to make those four years the best experience possible, so she was willing to take the extra steps. In her opinion, “if you want to be a good team, you have to talk to your team.”
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Road to the Championships
To prepare for the upcoming season, the AAMU Bulldogs focused on the team dynamic and how to communicate with one another on and off the field. They worked on how to be better teammates and what that word meant to them. Tehya mentions that it had a lot to do with holding one another accountable for their actions on the field. With this comes wanting the best for your teammates, your coach, and ultimately yourself.
That Special Feeling
To be victorious in her senior season felt very unreal. Her team had set a bunch of goals they wanted to accomplish. Reaching their goal was an incredible feeling for her. Her coach brought in unbelievable players that helped them become victorious. She has had a great experience playing at AAMU because she felt that sense of community that all players want. It was a great way to close off her soccer journey.
Last Words of Advice
One piece of advice that Tehya has for all recruits is to make sure you are mentally tough to come into the world of college athletics. She mentioned that being a student-athlete takes up a lot of your time. You must know how to balance both school and soccer.
In the end, she would not change a second of it. For Tehya, the “HBCU experience is phenomenal because of the love and culture” that surrounds athletes.
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* Originally published on June 27, 2022, by Daesha Harper
