Mary Lake

Classroom

Mary Lake is not only graduating from the second-ranked undergraduate accounting program in the nation, she’s also doing so with a 3.68 GPA. She was accepted into the BYU Master’s of Accounting program, currently the second-ranked Master of Accountancy (MAcc) program in the country, with an emphasis in tax. A CoSIDA All-District and WCC All-Academic honoree, she plans to work for one of the Big Four accounting firms.

Character

Writes Lake: “I’m a big believer that the little things matter. If I expect to be a good player, I have to have high levels of expectations for all the areas of my life.

“My favorite part about my time at BYU has been my interactions with BYU women’s volleyball fans. I really think that young women are so impressionable. I just want them to understand their worth, which I can easily feel while talking to them. I love building fans up and letting them know that just because I play a college sport doesn’t mean that I am any less human than they are.”

She has also been a four-year starter and leader on her team, all while succeeding at school, serving in her church and competing on the U.S. National Team.

Community

Lake has served extensively with Y Serve, a group on campus that reaches out to community schools, hospitals and groups to lift the sick and teach young people life skills. While with the U.S. National Team, Lake visited area hospitals to cheer on and comfort patients. She has also spoken to numerous youth groups on faith, self-esteem and success in life.

Competition

In 2018, Lake was an AVCA All-America Second Team member, VolleyballMag.com All-America First Team member, Pacific South All-Region honoree and NCAA Provo Regional Team selection. She was named WCC Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-WCC First Team. Starting every match, Lake led BYU to a No. 1 ranking for 11-straight weeks, ultimately going to the NCAA Final Four and finishing with a 31-2 record and WCC championship.

In 2017, Lake was an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and Pacific South All-Region honoree. She won her first WCC Defender of the Year award and made the All-WCC First Team. The Cougars won the WCC, advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 and went 30-3 overall.

As a freshman, Lake broke the school record with 546 digs on the year and was named to the All-WCC Freshman Team and an All-WCC Honorable Mention selection, helping BYU go 29-4, win the WCC and advance to the NCAA Sweet 16.

This summer, Lake has been one of just two liberos on the U.S. Senior National Team active roster, helping Team USA win the Volleyball Nations League and qualify for the 2020 Olympics.