Kayla Saager-Beckley’s cause of death may not be known for up to half a year, the Tulsa County Medical Examiner’s Office said Wednesday.
The 30-year-old pregnant former Division I soccer standout collapsed and died just 10 minutes after finishing a workout last week in Tulsa, Oklahoma, leaving her new husband and both families searching for answers. A spokesperson for the medical examiner told The Post that full test results will take roughly three to six months to complete.
Saager-Beckley had recently married John Beckley, the University of Tulsa’s outside linebackers coach, and was pregnant with their first child, a daughter the couple had already named Sawyer. The East Islip, Long Island native was 10 minutes removed from exercise when she collapsed unexpectedly.
Tulsa head football coach Tre Lamb broke the news publicly during a press conference Monday, describing the devastating impact on his staff.
“It’s just been a really hard week for [Beckley,] for us as a staff, our coach’s wives,” Lamb said.
He continued, “She was 30 years old. She was pregnant with their daughter, Sawyer. It’s been tough on our staff. We had a memorial for her last night. We just ask that you please pray for the Saager family, the Beckley family.”
The team plans to honor Saager-Beckley with special helmet stickers during their next game, Lamb added.
Binghamton University, her alma mater, announced her death in a news release last Thursday. Saager-Beckley had established herself as one of the most prolific scorers in program history during her two seasons with the Bearcats, netting 22 goals.
The upstate New York university described her as “one of the most feared strikers” ever to wear its jersey. She served as team captain and departed in 2019 with a resume that included two all-region selections and the 2017 America East Striker of the Year award.
The circumstances of Saager-Beckley’s final moments remain under investigation as the medical examiner’s office conducts its full battery of tests. No preliminary findings have been released.