« Men’s Soccer 2013

Tyler Riggs

School
Kentucky
Position
Forward
Major
Mechanical Engineering
G
1
A
0
PTS
2

Classroom

Riggs is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, earning first-team honors in 2012. He owns a 3.93 cumulative GPA as a mechanical engineering major and is on track to graduate in May. A three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and the C-USA Academic Honor Roll, Riggs also earned C-USA All-Academic Team honors in 2010 and 2011. He has been a member of the UK Dean’s List in every semester of collegiate career. In five of his six semesters, he has been on the UK Athletics Directors Honor Roll (4.0 GPA), only receiving one “B” in his career. Riggs plans to complete the BS/MBA Dual Program at UK after graduation/ He spent his senior year summer working as an engineering intern in the global production group at Brown-Forman in Louisville, serving as a project manager for capital projects.

Character

The perfect example of a student-athlete, Riggs has developed a reputation as a first-class individual on and off the field. He is a team leader, who helped guide the Wildcats to their first NCAA Tournament hosting berth since 2003 in 2012. He has repeatedly served in leadership roles during his academic pursuits. He showed great character in rehabbing from a labrum tear during a dynamic freshman season, playing out the year before having surgery. Due to the challenging nature of his major, his three years of leading the Wildcats in scoring is a staggering accomplishment.

Community

Riggs has set the standard for the UK program in its activity in the community, utilizing his role as a student-athlete to positively affect others. His extensive volunteer resume includes St. Joes Orphanage, YMCA, soup kitchens, St. Patrick Parish Vacation Bible School, Louisville Zoo, local high school camps and elementary schools and God’s Pantry. He has also volunteered with the Dare to Care organization, helping with a food drive. He worked with Junior Achievement, a program that helps team children about real world experiences and life as an adult such as paying bills, supporting family, buying a hour/car. He worked with the Habitat for Humanity in the construction of a new home for underprivileged and with Project Warm, helping to winterize people’s homes in downtown Louisville. He has visited the Veterans Hospital and worked as a volunteer at a swimming event for the Special Olympics. Riggs worked with the Volunteers of America in downtown Louisville, helping with landscaping and maintenance of needed projects and also volunteered with the Glenn Hill Equine Therapy program, helping handicapped children learn to ride horses.

Competition

One of the top performers in UK soccer history,Riggs is a three-time All-Conference USA selection after leading the Wildcats in scoring the last three seasons. He ranks fourth in goals scored (23) and sixth in points (55) in UK career history, in just three years. He needs 11 goals to equal the all-time program record and has earned four weekly national player of the week awards and was twice selected C-USA Player of the Week in his career. Riggs set the program record for most assists in a game (three; 2011). He is the first UK player to lead the team in scoring in three consecutive seasons since 2002-04. He had a stretch of points in five consecutive games, including four straight games with goals. He ranks eighth in game-winning goals (six) in UK career history.