Rebekah VanDijk

Classroom

Rebekah VanDijk graduated with a bachelor’s of business administration in accounting in three years and is currently enrolled in the master’s of business administration program. She was a member of the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s list for three consecutive years. She finished her undergrad with a 3.670 GPA and led the team’s efforts to win the Sun Belt Academic GPA for highest GPA for women’s basketball in the conference.

Character

“I” is very rarely used by VanDijk. When it is, it is being used in phrases like “How can I help?” or “What else can I do?” VanDijk has a team-first personality and puts everyone else’s needs above her own. Despite graduating in three years and pursuing a MBA, she is always the first one to nominate herself in however she can help others. She spends her free time doing community service, helping her teammates get better on and off the court, and is a leader for the program’s community service efforts. Despite being the leading scorer for the team in all three seasons, she gives all of the credit to the teammates around her in every single interview. As a team captain and leader, each individual that has arrived to the program points to VanDijk as their go-to person in terms of who they look up to, who is first to lend a hand and as the role model that they aspire to be.

Community

VanDijk is the 2017-18 Vice President of UTA’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). She has been a part of the leadership committee for UTA’s 2016-17 and 2015-16 SAAC team that is two-time champion of the Sun Belt’s Community Service Initiative, given to the SAAC team that accumulates the highest number of community service points. She is a member of the UTA basketball team that won the Mav Point challenge for the UTA team with the most accumulated hours of community service.

In 2017, she served with Athletes in Action, visiting Ivory Coast to teach the game of basketball to kids and help at orphanages throughout the country. VanDijk visited Costa Rica during summer, helping teach the game to kids in San Jose, Costa Rica. She was selected as the University’s Sun Belt Leadership Team representative and is the leader of the team’s iCanBike program, which teaches kids with autism how to be active and ride a bike. VanDijk led the team’s hurricane relief efforts to help provide food, clothes and toiletries to those in need. She served with Miracle League for kids with disabilities to play baseball Active in church group’s initiative for community clean up as well as leader in the church’s daycare services to help parents in need. She is active with Arlington’s Meals on Wheels program, the Texas Special Olympics. and led the team’s efforts with the Hoops for Troops initiative at the Ft Worth Joint Reserve Base.

Competition

VanDijk is the 2017-18 SBC Preseason Player of the Year and a preseason first-team all-conference selection. She was first-team All-Sun Belt in 2016-17 and entered her senior season tied for first in NCAA active career leaders for double-doubles with 37 in her career. Her career rebounding average of 9.3 is 5th among active leaders. She was the only player in the SBC to be top three in both scoring (15.5) and rebounding (8.8).

VanDijk is approaching becoming the first UTA player to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. She is the 17th member of UTA’s 1,000 point club, and would become just the second to have 1,000 rebounds. Her 144 career blocks are 20th in SBC history. She was the 2014-15 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and FullCourt.com Mid-Major All-American and second-team All-SBC. In 2015-16 she secured an All-SBC Second Team honor. In UTA history, as of nomination time, she is eighth in scoring (1,238), third in rebounding (847), fifth in rebounds per game (9.3), eighth in field-goals made (488) and third in blocks. In her freshman season, she was one of two players to average a double-double in the conference.