'Good people love people': As Logan Eggleston speaks, Texas reunites at the White House

Members of the Texas volleyball team reunited at the White House on Monday.

Six months after it won the NCAA Division I championship, Texas participated in the White House's College Athlete Day. The Longhorns joined 46 other champions from three NCAA divisions for a ceremony in the nation's capital.

Even though Texas students have departed for their summer vacations, most of the Longhorns traveled to Washington. The list at the White House included graduates Logan Eggleston, Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres, Zoe Fleck, Kayla Caffey and Jenna Ewert. Melanie Parra and DeAndra Pierce, who transferred to TCU and Georgia Tech this offseason, were also there.

The only member of UT's championship team who was not present was Asjia O'Neal. The All-American middle blocker is playing with the U.S. women’s national team in the Volleyball Nation League this summer. Team USA is scheduled to play Croatia in Brazil on Tuesday.

The national champions were greeted by Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday. President Joe Biden was scheduled to host, but he was sidelined by a root canal.

After Harris gave her opening remarks at the ceremony, she turned the microphone over to Eggleston. The 2022 AVCA Player of the Year was the only athlete invited to speak. There were about 1,000 athletes at the event.

Eggleston was a four-year captain of the volleyball team during her time at Texas, and she served as president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. She was also a well-known advocate for social justice issues on campus. Former UT setter Jhenna Gabriel once referred to Eggleston as "your next president" on a television broadcast, and Eggleston told ESPN last fall that she has definitely thought about running for that office one day.

During her speech, Eggleston thanked Biden and Harris for their support of women's athletics, threw her Horns up twice and congratulated her fellow champions. She also expressed why she believes athletics are important.

"I am so so proud to be here today with all of you," Eggleston said. "This is what I love about sports. It can bring people together from all backgrounds and identities. In athletics, those things don't matter. Rather, athletics unites us, people with so many differences who want to accomplish a common goal. The diversity we see here today reflects American society, and the qualities that we have portrayed as student-athletes this year are important values that we as a country must continue to exhibit every single day, such as commitment, communication, trust and acceptance.

"Athletes are leaders, and let's continue to pave the way for a better future. Good people love people. Let's exhibit that every single day."

After she finished speaking, Eggleston presented an NCAA championship trophy to Harris and posed for pictures with the vice president. The team also gathered for a photo in front of the White House.

Back in December, Texas secured its third national championship when it swept Louisville in the NCAA championship match. Texas and head coach Jerritt Elliott went 28-1 during the 2022 volleyball season.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Eggleston, Texas celebrate volleyball championship at White House