Diverse: Issues In Higher Education announced Tuesday that Camber Hayes (Bowie, Md.), a junior midfielder/defender for Miami University soccer, has been named the female 2023 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar of the Year!

Hayes is the first student-athlete in Miami University and Mid-American Conference history to capture this prestigious award.

Hayes, who majors in biology/pre-medical studies, is a 4.0 student-athlete. She is a two-time Academic All-MAC selection in 2021 and 2022. Hayes also has earned Miami University President's List distinction, which denotes the top three percent of students in their division, for five-straight semesters, along with many other academic accolades.

Athletically, Hayes is a three-time All-MAC selection, earning first-team honors in 2022 and second-team recognition in 2020 and 2021, while being named to the 2020 MAC All-Freshman Team. A two-year captain for the RedHawks, Hayes also helped Miami finish among the top four of the conference for the first time in nine years.

On campus, she has been active through the Miami Scholars Program, Miami Bridges Program as volunteer mentor to high-school students from historically underrepresented populations, the Louis Stoke Alliance for Minority Participation organization that strives to increase high-achieving, underrepresented minority student requirement in STEM undergraduate degrees, graduate school and careers, and as a leader in Athletes in Action. She has volunteered nearly 300 hours of her time to organizations such as Watkins Park Animal Medical Center, Feed the Hungry and S.H.A.R.E ministries, along with many other organizations.

Hayes joins an elite list of past Ashe scholars include Baylor University's Robert Griffin III (2011); the University of Tennessee's Kara Lawson (2003); San Diego State University's Marshall Faulk (1993); and Stanford University's Simone Manuel (2017), — a four-time Olympic medalist — just to name a few who have gone on to achieve great success.

As the award name denotes, this edition is part of a decades-long tradition of recognizing outstanding, young minority men and women who have distinguished themselves in their academic and athletic pursuits.

In addition to their athletic ability, students named 2023 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars are students of color who have maintained at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average, are at least sophomores academically, and have been active on their campuses or in their communities. Of the nearly 1,000 scholar-athletes nominated, one male and one female athlete is selected as Sports Scholar of the Year.

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