SEC Announces Swimming & Diving Community Service Teams

Photo Courtesy: Ashley Ward/Auburn Athletics

The SEC sponsors Community Service Teams for all 21 league sponsored sports. The Community Service Team looks to highlight an athlete from each school who gives back to their community in superior service efforts. The 2017 SEC Women’s Swimming & Diving Community Service Team is as follows:

ALABAMA: Emily Zapinski, Senior, Freestyle
Zapinski gave time to the following charities and outreach programs: Sitters for Service through the DCH Foundation; UPC Food Pantry; Habitat for Humanity; DCH Cancer Center; and Amazing Grace Organization. She served as team captain in 2015-16 and earned the Crimson Tide’s Leadership Award as a junior. Zapinski earned place on the President’s and Dean’s Lists along with a spot on the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

ARKANSAS: Chelsea Tatlow, Junior, Back/Free/IM
Tatlow makes her third appearance on the SEC Community Service Team. She has served on the Leadership Academy and as the swimming & diving community service coordinator. Tatlow has worked with special education at the Springdale Junior High, the Book Hogs Read to Win program at Butterfield Elementary and with the Relay for Life Cancer Society. She donated funds for the Salvation Army and 7Hills Homeless Shelter. Tatlow filled backpacks for Girls on the Run, and participated in Razorback Reads at the Springdale Public Library. She volunteered for various projects, including Habitat for Humanity, Veteran’s Hospital, the Bentonville Half Marathon, Special Olympics, Operations Baton Rouge Flood Victims and Shop With Razorbacks at Toys-r-Us. Tatlow served as Lake Manager at Lake Wedington and has been a part of the Fayetteville Food Hub, the Fayetteville Underground and the Fayetteville Park and Recreation. She finished with a 4.0 GPA in four of her five semesters, earning a spot on the Dean’s List every semester and a four-time member of the Chancellor’s List. Tatlow was named a 2016 CSCAA First Team Scholar All-American.

AUBURN: Natasha Lloyd, Senior
Lloyd is a certified volunteer and foster at the Lee County Humane Society, volunteering 4-6 hours per week. She has helped set up Bark in the Park for the Humane Society. Lloyd volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, the Food Bank of East Alabama and at the Oak Park Retirement Home. She helped pack lunches for children in need within the Lee County school system through Blessings in a Backpack and served as a volunteer swim instructor for under privileged children.

FLORIDA: Hannah Burns, Sophomore, Swimmer
Burns made eight early-morning visits to local elementary schools to help lead them in physical activity. She collected donations for those affected by the Baton Rouge floods in partnership with the Student-Athlete Advisory Council. Burns visited patients at UF Health Shands four times during the fall semester. She cleaned up and prepped existing facilities for a new addition to Balance180, a local nonprofit that offers recreational and competitive sports for young people with varying abilities and needs. Burns Helped to wrap more than 350 pairs of shoes for Gator Tracks, an annual initiative that provides shoes for underprivileged students in Alachua County. She also worked to uplift families through Caleb’s Pitch, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating positive experiences and enhancing quality of life for children and their families while being treated for serious medical conditions. Burns won the Tracy Caulkins Award, which is given to a female freshman based on her performance at the SEC and NCAA Championships.

GEORGIA: Emily Cameron, Senior
Cameron has worked with various projects, including UGA Heroes, UGA Relay for Life, Safe Routes to School, Special Olympics Prom and Special Olympics Baseball. She was a part of Girl Power Day, the Barrow Elementary Scholar Athlete Field Day, the Barrow Elementary School Poem Reading with sixth graders and the End IT Movement. Cameron volunteered with the Hunger Bowl, Athens PB&J, Athens Ark Organization and the Athens Community Council on Aging Turkey Distribution. She was a co-team captain for UGA Miracle Athletics, a volunteer coach for the Bishop Park Swim Team, a Sunday school teacher at Athens Church and a volunteer for the Athens Area Humane League. Cameron served as campus crew president of Love Your Melon, and volunteered for the “No More” campaign and the Dawg Swim Camp. A member of the SEC and UGA Academic Honor Rolls, she is Vice President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

KENTUCKY: Kelly Berger, Senior, Freestyle
Berger Volunteered at Privett’s Men’s Recovery Center, serving food. She is extremely active within the local schools, reading with and tutoring children on a weekly basis. Berger Serve meals to the homeless at Lexington Hope Center. She has worked with the Salvation Army, Cats Cultivating Character, the Ronald McDonald House and the UK Children’s Hospital blanket project. Berger was a member of the 2016 SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll and the 2014 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll. She was also a 2014 CSCAA Scholar All-American Honorable Mention.

LSU: Angele Cherbonnier, Senior, Breaststroke/Freestyle
Cherbonnier serves on the Kappa Kappa Gamma Philanthropy Committee and as Vice President of Community Relations of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. She is a BINGO caller at the Southside Gardens Retirement Center and Assisted Living. Cherbonnier has participated in the Delta Gamma Fan Day, Geaux Big Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge Flood Relief, Thanksgiving with the Tigers and the LSU Athletics Boo-Zar. She has volunteered with Young Heroes, the Williamsburg Community Living Center and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Baton Rouge and Magnolia Woods. Cherbonnier, a two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, was named to the 2014-15 SEC Community Service Team.

MISSOURI: Victoria Trost, Senior, Swimmer
In her four years at Missouri, Trost has been a familiar face in the Columbia community. She has spent extensive time volunteering with UCP Heartland, an organization dedicated to supporting individuals with cerebral palsy and other disabilities, including Down Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder, physical and developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injury. Additionally, Trost has volunteered her time with S.W.I.M., Swim Across America, Adapted Gymnastics, National Student Athlete Day, Caleb’s Pitch, the Food Bank for Central and Northwest Missouri and the MS 150 Bike Ride, among other organizations and events.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Marissa Roth, Junior, Diving
Roth has volunteered for several community service projects at South Carolina, contributing over 111 hours to community service projects in the past year. She participated in Relay for Life last spring. Roth volunteered for the church’s outreach camp at the Trinity Episcopal Church. Also in conjunction with Trinity Episcopal Church, she served as a college advisor for the youth summer program and a group leader for the church camp. Roth assisted in building houses with Homework’s Foundation.

TENNESSEE: Kira Toussaint, Senior, Backstroke/Freestyle
Toussaint recorded more than 50 hours of community service over the last year, much of it following her Olympic experience as a member of the Netherlands Team. She spent more than 20 hours giving inspirational talks at elementary schools in her hometown of Amstelveen. Toussaint also worked with the Goals for Girls program, an educational program for local youth from underprivileged homes. Other projects included: Christmas caroling at a nursing home; assisting with a cleanup as part of a Knoxville beautifying project; volunteering at the Man Run, a Tennessee Medical Center 5K that raises money for prostate cancer screening and prevention; and participating in Voloween, a Halloween even for children of UT staff and faculty.

TEXAS A&M: Laura Norman, Junior, Swimmer
Norman participated in a variety of community service opportunities at Texas A&M, including AggiesCan, AggiesBuild, Helping Hands and the Brazos Valley Food Bank. She also participates in the “Lean In” group on campus that deals with women’s leadership and empowerment. Norman and the Texas A&M women’s swimming and diving team has long-standing relationship with the Brazos Valley Food Bank and have served many capacities with the project through the years.

VANDERBILT: Kara Lucenti, Junior, Breaststroke/IM
Lucenti has volunteered with the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, the Guardian Hospice Center and the VA Hospital. She served as a Den and Program Leader at the Center for Courageous Kids and assisted in the Play It Safe Initiative through SAAC. Lucenti is a charter member of Love Your Melon, which sells hats and clothing with the proceeds going to help raise money for cancer research. She is also treasurer/morale chair of the Be the Match on Campus, which works with the Bone Marrow Registry. Lucenti was a volunteer at the Pi Beta Bi Christmas Village and the Soles 4 Souls shoe drive. Last summer, she had a summer internship with the Fenix Family Health Center, which serves uninsured Hispanic immigrants in the Cook County area. She spent over 150 hours with the non-profit taking vitals, running labs, participating in patient education, helping with grants as well as providing administrative assistance.

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The 2017 SEC Men’s Swimming & Diving Community Service Team is as follows:

ALABAMA: Carlo Rezzonico, Senior, Freestyle
Rezzonico has donated his time to the Crimson Field Day, the After-School Program, the Baton Rouge Relief, the Halloween Extravaganza, the DCH Cancer Center and the Amazing Grace Organization. He served as team captain during the 2016-17 season. In his junior year, Rezzonico earned a place on the President’s and Dean Lists along with a spot on the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

AUBURN: Joe Patching, Senior
Patching has helped pack lunches for children in need within the Lee County school systems through Blessings in a Backpack. He helped the Lee County Humane Society find homes for adoptable animals and participated in the city of Auburn’s Downtown Trick or Treat. Patching helped raise over $25,000 for the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America through Swim for MS. He also volunteered at the East Alabama Food Bank and with Habitat for Humanity. A team captain, Patching is a member of the Auburn Leadership Institute/Connect which mentors and builds relationships with small groups of incoming freshman and transfer student-athletes to provide support through their first year at Auburn.

FLORIDA: Samuel Smith, Sophomore, Diver
Smith cleaned up and prepped existing facilities for a new addition to Balance180, a local nonprofit that offers recreational and competitive sports for young people with varying abilities and needs. He helped to wrap and deliver more than 350 pairs of shoes for Gator Tracks, an annual initiative that provides shoes for underprivileged students in Alachua County. Smith volunteered with operations and refereeing at Xtraordinary Joy’s human foosball tournament, which raises funds to promote clinical interventions, therapies and care opportunities for children afflicted by X chromosome deletions. He led elementary school students through a tour of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, and worked to uplift families through Caleb’s Pitch, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating positive experiences and enhancing quality of life for children and their families while being treated for serious medical conditions. Smith won the Bill Harlan Award, which is given to a male and female diver who has brought national recognition to the University of Florida.

GEORGIA: Basil Orr, Junior
Orr worked with the Special Olympics Prom and the Special Olympics Baseball Game. He helped with the Tri To Beat Cancer Sprint Triathlon and with organizing food for distribution at the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia. Orr volunteered with Rolling Ridge community to spend time with children who live in lower class homes and with a high percentage of their fathers incarcerated. He helped make and pass out sandwiches and spent time with homeless in downtown Athens with Athens PB&J, Orr also helped collect toiletries to donate for Project Safe as well as canned food for the Hunger Bowl. He visited Stroud Elementary School and spent time with the children each week for a semester through a service-learning based class. Orr also participated in the NO More Campaign, the “It’s on Us” Campaign and the “End It” Movement. Orr is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and has been named to the SEC and UGA Academic Honor Rolls.

KENTUCKY: Kyle Higgins, Senior, Butterfly
Higgins went on a week-long service trip to Ethiopia in June 2016. He was a volunteer with the Lexington Hope Center, serving lunch/dinner and interacting with people. Higgins has delivered communion to the elderly at church and helped the landscape clean-up project at Henry Clay High School. He has volunteered for Tri for Sight and the Louisiana flood relief drive. Higgins also donated his time to the American Cancer Society golf tournament and the Kentucky Aquatics Autumn Classic. He served as a volunteer at the Iron Horse Half Marathon, the UK Children’s Hospital blanket project and Special Olympics. A member of UK’s Frank G. Ham Society of Character, Higgins, a team captain, was named to the 2016 SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll and the 2014 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.

LSU: Logan Rysemus, Senior, Backstroke/IM
Rysemus has been a part of the LSU Halloween BOOZAR, Lunch with the Tigers and Christmas with the Tigers. He has participated in the Terrace Elementary School Field Day, GEAUX BIG church clean up and LSU Move-In Day. He has volunteered for the LSU Thank-a-thon, the Louisiana Flood Relief and at a local animal shelter.

MISSOURI: Jordy Groters, Junior, Swimmer
An active member of the Columbia community, Groters spent extensive time with Centro Latino de Salud in the summer of 2016. The organization works to empower Latinos, Latino families and the general public through provision of services and guidance in navigating the health, education and cultural resources of mid-Missouri. He has also volunteered his time with the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Bryce Kananowicz, Junior, Freestyle/Backstroke/IM
Kananowicz has volunteered for several community service projects at South Carolina, contributing over 50 hours to community service projects in the past year. He participated in Relay for Life last spring. Kananowicz assisted with coaching and chaperoning at the South Carolina Swimming & Diving Camp. He passed out candy to children at Boo at the Zoo.

TENNESSEE: Matthew Dunphy, Sophomore, Breaststroke
Dunphy has logged more than 50 hours of community service over the last year. He spends a great deal of time mentoring to youth in the Knoxville community, spending four hours with them most Saturdays. Dunphy also volunteered with the Man Run, a road race sponsored by the Tennessee Medical Center to raise funds for prostate cancer research and awareness. He was a member of the 2016 SEC Community Service Team and was named to the 2016 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.

TEXAS A&M: Duncan Mulleady, Junior, Swimmer
Duncan and his teammates have served in various service functions at the Twin City Mission, including coat storage facility clean-up prior to the Annual Coat Drive and relocation of the facility. He assisted in Aggies Move, which is a program that educates children on nutrition and exercise. Duncan participated in the annual The Big Event, which is the largest student-run service project in the nation. Thousands of Texas A&M students perform yard maintenance, painting and many other services through the Bryan/College Station community every year. Duncan also served with the Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity and Helping Hands. Additionally, Duncan has gone to various elementary schools in the community to encourage reading skills to the young people.

Press releases courtesy of the SEC.

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