Making his collegiate debut, Beard qualified for the IC4A Championships and nearly broke a program record. The first-year Seahawk flew to a first-place finish in the 60m hurdles at the Metro Season Opener. Competing at the venue that will host the 2017 NEC Indoor Championships in February, Beard clocked in at 8.14. The time, which was 0.01 second off the Wagner record, ranks second overall on the early-season NEC leader board.