Kayla Beckley (Saager), age 30, passed away suddenly on September 9, 2026.
Kayla Saager-Beckley lit up every field she stepped onto and every room she walked into. Raised in East Islip, Long Island, she grew into one of the most feared strikers Binghamton University soccer has ever seen — a team captain who overcame multiple knee injuries to score 22 goals in just two seasons, was named 2017 America East Striker of the Year, and still holds the program's Division I-era records for goals and points per game. Her coach, Neel Bhattacharjee, remembered her simply: "Kayla, you are forever and always a Bearcat."
Kayla's drive carried her well beyond college. She played professionally in the Czech Republic before moving into coaching, first at Troy University, where she earned her master's degree in health and physical education — and where she met the man who would become her husband, John Beckley. They married in June 2026, and when John joined the football coaching staff at the University of Tulsa, Kayla followed, building a new life and a new home there with him.
They were expecting their first child together, a daughter they had already named Sawyer, when Kayla died suddenly on September 9, 2026, from a brain aneurysm. She was 30 years old.
She leaves behind John; her parents, Ron and Noranne; her sisters, Rachel and Veronica; and a community of teammates, coaches, and friends who knew her as a fierce competitor with, as her coach put it, "a big heart" and a deep love of family. She was preparing to become a mother. She will always be remembered as one.
Because Kayla's death came without warning, from a condition that gave no sign until it was too late, her friends and family have chosen to direct their support here. Every gift helps carry forward what her loss made painfully clear — the need for greater awareness, and research that might one day catch what couldn't be caught in time. This fund exists both to support Kayla's family through their grief and to honor her memory by helping others.