After winning the discus championship in the NCAA Outdoor Championship and the USA Track and Field Championship in June, Reed was named the men’s outdoor field events NCAA Division I Scholar Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association ?this week.
According to UA Athletics, Reed is the first male athlete from Alabama to win the award, which is selected ?annually from athletes who earn All-Academic honors and place in individual events at the NCAA Championships.
“It was a real honor,” Reed said of the award in a UA Athletics interview. “We put in a lot of hard work on the track as well as in the classroom. As coach says, we’re student-athletes, student being first, so it’s always good to put a lot of work in the class before you actually get to the track. It’s good to know all that work actually does pay off. People do care about what you do in the classroom, not just out in the field or on the track.”
UA track and field coach Dan Waters said Reed’s accomplishments underscore the overall mission of the program, which encourages success far beyond ?athletic pursuits.
“Obviously, we are very proud of Hayden Reed for what he has ?accomplished in competition and in the classroom,” Waters said in a UA release. “Hayden is an excellent example of the level of performance and commitment that we want all of our student-athletes to achieve. He’s also a great example of the mission of our athletic department – to compete at the highest level athletically and in life after graduation. Hayden is well on his way to fulfilling that mission.”
Reed agreed with his coach, saying every accomplishment to put on his resume helps.
“We put in a lot of work to get where we need to be with our grades,” Reed said. “I’m trying to get into grad school after I graduate, so it’s absolutely icing on the cake, just getting that little bit of extra credit for what you’ve been doing.”
Alabama athletics offers academic assistance to all of its athletes, centralized at the Bill Battle Center for Athletic Student Services. Reed said any help an athlete could need is available there.
“You can go in anytime, get help with anything you need,” Reed said. “They have tutors for everything. You need to print out papers, you can print out anything you need, as much as you need. Any sort of help that you could possibly need is right there when you need it.”
