The family of former Binghamton University soccer captain Kayla Saager-Beckley has spoken publicly after the death of her and her unborn daughter on Sept. 9.
Saager-Beckley, a 30-year-old Long Island native, collapsed and died unexpectedly 10 minutes after a workout last week in Tulsa, Okla.
“Kayla was a beautiful, loving and unforgettable soul whose laughter, kindness and love touched so many lives,” the family said in a statement shared by Kayla’s husband, John Beckley, who is Tulsa’s outside linebackers coach. “She and Sawyer will forever remain in the hearts of all who knew and loved them.”
The statement included funeral and celebration of life information – and the family asked for donations in memory of Kayla and Sawyer to either St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital or The Bee Foundation, which supports awareness, education prevention and research surrounding brain aneurysms.
The local medical examiner told The Post that it would it would be “roughly three to six months” before an official cause of death is determined.
“A report won’t be available until we have concluded all of our tests — which will take roughly three to six months,” a spokesperson for the Tulsa County Medical Examiner’s Office told The Post on Wednesday.
During a press conference Monday, Tulsa head football coach Tre Lamb said Kayla “was working out, 10 minutes later she was found unresponsive.”
Kayla recently transitioned into college soccer scouting and recruiting, and moved to Tulsa with her husband, whom she married in June.
Beckley joined Tulsa’s coaching staff in 2025.
Binghamton University announced Kayla’s death on Sept. 10.
“Known for her gritty play and determination on the field, including overcoming multiple knee injuries, Saager was equally beloved for her compassionate, family-centered focus off the field,” the university said.
She scored 22 goals in two seasons as a Bearcat from 2017-18.
Kayla played professional soccer overseas in the Czech Republic before she moved into coaching — and spent four years as an assistant at Troy University in Alabama, where she earned her master’s degree in health and physical education.
