Abdi Ibrahim and Nika Beukers represent the very finest that Portland State Athletics has to offer, as athletes and as students. And the completion of their Viking careers has offered them one more distinctive honor to each of their resumes as they have been named Portland State's Big Sky Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year for 2024-25.
 
Ibrahim peppered his name throughout the Portland State cross country and track & field records books throughout his four-year career. He leaves the program ranked in the all-time top 10 in six different individual events in cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field. He was also part of two top-10 distance medley relay teams during indoor competition.
 
Ibrahim broke the school record in the cross country 6k at the Gator Cross Invitational this past fall. He added the No. 2 and No. 6 times in the 1k and 3k during the winter indoor season, as well as the No. 6 time in the 10k outdoors this spring.
 
Off the track, Ibrahim earned six Academic All-Big Sky honors during his Portland State career.
 
His journey to Portland State may have been more remarkable than the career he made for himself on the Park Blocks. He and his family lived in a refugee camp in Kenya, escaping a civil war in their native Somalia. He grew up fast alongside his seven siblings, contributing to the family's income by cooking, cleaning and taking care of the family's livestock. His family applied to immigrate to the United States, and given only two weeks to prepare for the move, eventually made their way to Portland's Parkrose District.

Nika Beukers finished one of the most successful careers in Portland State women's tennis history with 74 combined singles and doubles wins—the second-highest total by any player in program history. A three-time All-Big Sky doubles selection, Beukers earned first-team honors in 2022 and 2024, followed by an honorable mention nod in 2025 alongside partner Kasumi Hirayama. She finished her career ranked second all-time in doubles wins (44), including a program-record 23 victories in Big Sky play.

In singles, Beukers became just the fourth player in program history to reach 30 career wins, six of which came at the No. 1 spot during her senior season in 2025. During her time at Portland State, she helped lead the Vikings to three appearances in the Big Sky Championship tournament, highlighted by a semifinal run in 2023.

Beukers also excelled in the classroom, earning three degrees at Portland State while maintaining an impressive 3.96 GPA. She was a four-time Academic All-Big Sky selection and a three-time CSC Academic All-District honoree.

Portland State's Past Scholar-Athletes of the Year
2024-25: Abdi Ibrahim (track and field/cross country), Nika Beukers (women's tennis)
2023-24: Jamie Zamrin (track and field/cross country), Isaiah Henry (football)
2022-23: Olivia Dean (softball), Mataio Talalemotu (football)
2021-22: Tyson Pauling (football), Windy Huang (women's golf)
2020-21: Anthony Adams (football), Kaila Gibson (track and field/cross country)
2019-20: Eszter Zador (women's tennis), Kenton Bartlett (football)
2017-18: Justin Outslay (football), Tasha Bojanic (volleyball)
2018-19: Donte Robinson (track and field), Courtney West (women's basketball)
2016-17: Xavier Coleman (football), Genna Settle (track and field)
2015-16: Sheldon Prince (track and field), Cori Bianchini (soccer)
2014-15: Joe Lopez (football), Caitlin Plese (soccer)
2013-14: Garyn Schlatter (volleyball), Mitch Gaulke (football)
2012-13: Anna Bertrand (softball), Zach Lubek (men's tennis)
2011-12: Eryn Jones (women's basketball), Drew Hubel (football)
2010-11: Frankie Ross (soccer), Tygue Howland (football)
2009-10: Ryan Pederson (football), Dolly Enneking (soccer)

2024-25 Big Sky Conference Scholar Athletes Of The Year

Eastern Washington
Kate Hatch, Volleyball, Masters in Wellness and Movement Sciences (Mesa, Ariz.)
Efton Chism III, Football, Health and Physical Education (Monroe, Wash.)
 
Idaho
Jenna Bruggeman, Women's Golf, Art and Architecture (Edmonton, Alberta)
Tommy McCormick, Football, Medical Sciences (Fallon, Nev.)
 
Idaho State
Jamie Streit, Volleyball, Education; Interdisciplinary Studies (Pinedale, Wyo.)
Brandon Walker, Men's XC/T&F, Sports & Exercise Science (Boise, Idaho)
 
Montana
Charley Boone, Soccer, Finance (Seattle, Wash.)
Trevin Gradney, Football, Business Administration (Billings, Mont.)
 
Montana State
Grace Gilbreth Women's XC/T&F, Economics (Bozeman, Mont.)
Tommy Mellott, Football, Financial Engineering (Butte, Mont.)
 
Northern Arizona
Maggi Congdon, Women's XC/T&F, Civil Engineering (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
Drew Bosley, Men's XC/T&F, Educational Foundations (Thiensville, Wisc.)
 
Northern Colorado
Isabelle DiNapoli, Softball, Sport & Exercise Science: Human Performance (Littleton, Colo.)
Isaac Rascon, Men's XC/TF, Sport & Exercise Science: Human Performance (Middletown, Calif.)
 
Portland State
Nika Beukers, Women's Tennis, Business Administration: Marketing (Den Bosch, Netherlands)
Abdi Ibrahim, Men's XC/T&F, Nonprofit Leadership (Portland, Ore.)
 
Sacramento State
Sneha Sharan, Women's Golf, Psychology (Bengaluru, India)
Miles Grant, Men's Track & Field, Art (Portland, Ore.)
 
Weber State
Kate Payne, Volleyball, Master of Education, (Lehi, Utah)
Tristan Sarap, Men's Tennis, Professional Sales (San Diego, Calif.)
 
Cal Poly
Charles Lincoln, Football, Agriculture (San Luis Obispo, Calif.)
 
UC Davis
Angelo Genetti, Football, Political Science (Linden, Calif.)