Beard, Proffitt continue soccer careers overseas

When former women’s soccer midfielder Eli Beard graduated, she wrote “professional soccer player” as her post-graduation plans on a sign in the Al McGuire Center.

Now those plans are far more official than a piece of paper in the intercollegiate athletics offices. Beard signed last week with BIIK Kazygurt, a soccer team in Kazakhstan competing in the Champions League.

Beard is coming off a productive senior season in 2017. She had a career-best four goals, four assists and 21 shots on goal while starting all 20 games in the midfield.

Morgan Proffitt, Beard’s teammate for three seasons at Marquette, requested to be released from the Washington Spirit to pursue overseas opportunities. The Chicago Red Stars drafted Proffitt prior to the 2017 season but released her last August.

With Proffitt’s release, the only remaining Marquette alumna in the National Women’s Soccer League is Maegan Kelly, who plays for FC Kansas City. At one point, three Marquette women’s soccer alumnae were on NWSL rosters.

Marquette extends offers to slew of 2020 recruits

With the current recruiting quiet period ending in less than two weeks, men’s basketball head coach Steve Wojciechowski and his staff have offered scholarships to 2020 recruits Dain Dainja, Jaylen Clark and Dawson Garcia.

Dainja was on an unofficial visit to Marquette when Wojciechowski’s staff offered the 6-foot-8 big man a scholarship, a source told the Marquette Wire Friday. He is not yet ranked on any major recruiting site but holds offers from Iowa, Kansas State, Baylor and Pitt, among other high-major programs.

Clark and Garcia announced their offers via Twitter Thursday. 247Sports ranks Garcia 55th in his class, and he has received offers from Xavier, Butler, Texas and Minnesota. Clark is 35th in 247Sports’ rankings, and his offers include the University of Southern California, UCLA, UNLV and California.

Marquette also hosted 2021 guard Angelo Brizzi for an unofficial visit Thursday. Coaches are allowed to have in-person contact with recruits on the prospective school’s campus until July 6.

BIG EAST pod begins Saturday

Almost four months after the end of the BIG EAST season, there will be a different type of BIG EAST basketball coming to the Al McGuire Center this weekend — The Basketball Tournament.

Marquette, St. John’s, Seton Hall and Georgetown will have alumni teams face off Saturday and Sunday. The winner of the four-team bracket will have a spot in TBT’s “Super 16” round in Atlanta.

Marquette and St. John’s alumni teams will face off at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Al McGuire Center. The winner will play the winner of Seton Hall and Georgetown’s alumni teams Sunday at 1 p.m.

This is the first year of both the BIG EAST pod and formalized alumni teams for Seton Hall, St. John’s and Georgetown. However, it will be Marquette’s third year in the tournament. The winner of the 72-team field will win $2 million.

BIG EAST senior associate commissioner John Paquette told the Wire earlier this month that, despite his optimism about this year’s event, the future of the BIG EAST pod in TBT has not yet been determined.

Quick shots

• Former men’s basketball guard Andrew Rowsey will compete on the Toronto Raptors’ summer league team, per Ben Steele of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Rowsey finished third in the BIG EAST in scoring with 20.5 points per game and set a program record for threes in a single season (125).
• Marquette men’s soccer athletes Luka Prpa, Patrick Seagrist and Josh Coan have all earned player of the week honors through the first seven weeks of the Premier Development League. Goalkeeper Luis Barraza and midfielders Martin Alba and Ruben Sanchez are also playing in the PDL this summer.