BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southeastern Conference on Tuesday announced the Community Service Team for the sport of women’s golf and Texas A&M was represented by junior Janell Lysack.
The SEC names a Community Service Team for each of its 21 league-sponsored sports, looking to highlight an athlete from each school who gives back to his community through superior service efforts.
Lysack and her Aggie teammates concluded their season at the NCAA West Regional at The Stanford Golf Course in a tie for 12th place.
The 2013 SEC Women’s Golf Community Service Team is as follows:
Daniela Lendl, Alabama (So., Vero Beach, Fla.)
Volunteers at the Rise School (for special needs children) … Volunteered at the local YMCA … Enjoys spending times visiting local elementary children … Participated in the University of Alabama Halloween Extravaganza … Spent time with local children at the Tide’s “Tailgating with the Stars” event … Started eight events for the Crimson Tide in 2012-13, including all seven events in the spring … Started in six of the Tide’s wins this season.
Victoria Vela, Arkansas (Sr., Mansfield, Texas)
Has volunteered with the Book Hogs Read To Win Program, the Sweat Hawgs Physical Fitness Program, Special Olympics and the Richardson Center Helping the Homeless … Participated in Feeding My Starving Children, the SEC Together We CAN Food Drive, the Jingle Bell 5K Run for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lift Up America … A three-time selection to the National Golf Coaches Association All-Scholar Team and a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll … A member of the Arkansas honor roll every semester of her collegiate career.
Victoria Trapani, Auburn (So., Hollywood, Fla.)
Is an active volunteer with StoreyBook Farm, assisting with handicap children … Participated in food bank and clothing drives through the year … Also volunteered with the Lee-Russell County Aging Foundation, helping package and deliver food for needy citizens … As a freshman, was named an Auburn Academic Top Tiger, selected to the SEC Academic Honor Roll and was an NGCA All-American Scholar … Was picked for the All-SEC Second Team and SEC All-Freshman Team … Selected as one of Golf Digest’s Top 50 Players to Watch entering this season … Won the Central Florida Challenge as a freshman.
Elcin Ulu, Florida (Jr., Istanbul, Turkey)
Volunteered with the Miracle on Main Street, which provides families the opportunity to shop for presents donated through gifts from the local community … With the help of the student-athletes through Miracle on Main Street, more than 1,000 school children in the area received what might have been their only presents under the Christmas tree … Participated in Gator Tracks, which provided shoes for 475students from seven schools in Alachua County on free or reduced lunch … Florida’s Office of Student Life hosted a wrapping party, where student-athletes helped wrap and organize the shoes to prepare them for deliveries.
Collins Bradshaw, Georgia (So., Columbia, S.C.)
Has volunteered with Walk to Cure Diabetes and Home Runs For Hometown Rivals … Via her sorority (Alpha Delta Pi), participated in the Ronald McDonald House “Pop Tabs Collection” … Attended a prom-themed dance for Special Olympians … Assisted with the Stadion Classic golf clinic at the UGA Golf Course … Volunteered with the SEC Together We CAN food drive as a member of Georgia’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee … Helped conduct a golf clinic for local members of the Girl Scouts … Visited patients at Palmetto Health in the Columbia, S.C., area … Participated in six of her team’s 10 tournaments during the 2012-13 season.
Megan Moir, Kentucky (Sr., Louisville, Ky.)
The 2012-13 Brad Davis SEC Community Service Leader of the Year … Took a service trip to Ethiopia in summer of 2012, organized and planned a program called Dodging Homeless in Ethiopia … Has been part of similar projects in Ramona Gardens Housing Project and the Faith in Christ Community Center in Los Angeles … More than 700 hours of community service in Lexington area during her career at UK … Won the 2013 CATSPY Community Service Award … President of Kentucky’s SAAC … Team captain, two-time Academic All-American, SEC Academic Honor Roll, UK Athletics Director’s Honor Roll, SEC Community Service Team … Inducted into Kentucky’s prestigious Frank G. Ham Society of Character.
Katrina Hegge, LSU (Sr., Seattle, Wash.)
Served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) as women’s golf representative for the 2012-13 school year … Also helped with the women’s golf team’s booth at the Halloween BOOzar which allows kids a safe environment to Trick or Treat with LSU Athletic Teams … Visited patients at the children’s ward of a local hospital and was part of the women’s golf team’s efforts in the Spring Greening project of the University, working to improve and fix up the look of the campus.
Ericka Schneider, Ole Miss (Sr., Bradenton, Fla.)
Has volunteered with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, including spending time painting a house … Spent time at Ole Miss’ Girls and Women in Sports Day as part of a nationwide celebration recognizing the accomplishments in the promotion and advancement of girls and women’s sports … A Dean’s List student and member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and the UMAA Honor Roll.
Rica Tse, Mississippi State (So., Auckland, New Zealand)
Volunteered for Potato Drop, a food collection driven project that collects potatoes and other food items for needy families in the Starkville area … Participated in Breakfast of Champions, a breakfast held at a Starkville-area elementary school for student achieving certain grades … Volunteered with Relay for Life … A member of Mississippi State’s M-Club, a community service-driven organization to get Bulldog student-athletes in the community … An economics major with a 4.0 grade point average … Finished tied for eighth at the 2013 SEC Championships and was Mississippi State’s No. 2 player on its NCAA Championships qualifying team.
Kate Gallagher, Missouri (Jr., Savannah, Mo.)
Is very active in the community as she has spent much of her time volunteering at local elementary schools … As a part of the Mizzou Moves campaign, taught the importance of good nutrition and an active lifestyle to children at local elementary schools, and also participated in the West Elementary and Our Lady of Lourdes Read-a-Thons … Served as the student liaison for the Boys & Girls Club Chili Cookoff, and also participated in the Food Recovery Network … For this, she played an integral part in transferring food from the Mizzou Athletic Training Complex to the St. Francis House for homeless men … Traveled to Joplin, Mo. to help with tornado recovery efforts, and also helped collect nearly 200 pairs of shoes for Special Olympics Athletes through the National Student-Athlete Day Shoe Drive … Helped to raise funds for the United Way through a fundraiser at the Mizzou Student Center, and also helped package gifts for the Adopt-a-Family program at Trinity Presbyterian Church … Is a student in Missouri’s Trulaske College of Business, and also participates in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at Mizzou … Was one of seven students at Mizzou to be tapped into the Mystical Seven secret society … The Mystical Seven recognizes seven outstanding men and women on campus for membership based on their good deeds and selfless leadership and service to the campus and community … Was also tapped into the Mortar Board Organization, which is a national honor society for college seniors, created to facilitate cooperation among senior honor societies, to contribute to the self-awareness of its members, to promote equal opportunities among all people an advance a spirit of scholarship, among other things.
Meredith Swanson, South Carolina (Sr., Roanoke, Va.)
Visited the Carolina Children’s Group … Is a regular visitor at the Palmetto Richland Children’s Hospital … Joined a panel discussion at Heathwood High School … A member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Sara Monberg, Tennessee (Sr., Juelsminde, Denmark)
Participated in the Big Brothers Big Sisters movie event … Volunteered to teach the basics of golf to girls and women of all ages through the Susan G. Komen Golf Clinic … Participated in VOLoween, dressing up, leading games and passing out candy to community and University children and families … Volunteered time to serve her community as part of a Thanksgiving Holiday Dinner … Joined Athletes in Action in a wrapping party … A volunteer instructor, teaching the basics of golf to kids of the First Tee program … Earned the 2013 Chancellor’s Citation for Outstanding Scholarship … Nominee for 2013 Ms. Tennessee Big Orange Heart at Volscars, an award presented to the student-athlete who shows the most heart for her University through efforts to serve the University and community … Has competed in every event of her Tennessee career.
Janell Lysack, Texas A&M (Jr., Katy Texas)
Film on the Field Coordinator, project to thank students and community for support by welcoming them onto Kyle Field to watch a movie … Field Coordinator for Hard Hats for Little Heads, teachers local elementary students the importance of helmet safety… Head Coordinator for Aggies Can 2012, the largest student-run canned food drive in the nation … The Texas A&M Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President for 2012-13 and chair of the SAAC Public Relations Committee in 2011-12.
Kimberly Koehler, Vanderbilt (Jr., Redmond, Wash.)
A very active member of the Vanderbilt community as well as in her hometown of Seattle … In Nashville, was a part of a Halloween celebration with children from a local Nashville school at Vanderbilt, worked with The First Tee of Nashville, and participated in the Vanderbilt Student Athlete Hunger Games contest … In Seattle, volunteers for the Seattle Humane Society … Later this summer, she will take a trip to Tanzania, Africa, to work with Soles4Souls to distribute shoes to children.
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics