2023 SEC Soccer Community Service Team Announced
Birmingham, Ala. (October 25, 2023) - The SEC sponsors Community Service Teams for all 22 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 19th annual women's soccer Community Service Team follows:
Macy Clem, Alabama
Macy Clem has served as a leader both on and off the field for the Tide. Clem was a part of Woodland Elementary's Welcome Back Event, where she greeted students and welcomed them on their first day of school. Over her career, she has volunteered at the Rise Center, Crossing Points, National Girls and Women in Sports Day, a Night to Shine and UA's Halloween Extravaganza. Clem is a two-time Dean's List honoree and was named the Alabama Student-Athlete of the Month for her contributions to the community in September. As a graduate student, Clem is interning with the Crimson Tide Foundation as she works towards a graduate degree in sport hospitality management. Clem earned her undergraduate degree in the spring of 2023, majoring in human performance and exercise science with a minor in psychology.
Sierra Cota-Yarde, Arkansas
Sierra participated in the NWA Children's Hospital Family Day where she attended a picnic with patients and their families. Sierra and other student-athletes were able to play games and mingle. She also was in attendance for the Tyson Food Truck event where the athletic department partnered with Tyson to giveaway 40,000 pounds of protein to local nonprofit agencies. Sierra and the soccer team also hosted a joint youth clinic with Arkansas State where they engaged with young soccer players the night before the season's first match.
LJ Knox, Auburn
LJ Knox makes an impact on the Auburn community by working closely with Project Uplift, Our House, Auburn EAGLES and the Auburn Sustenance Project. With Project Uplift, Knox mentors young children in the area and teaches them how to develop healthy, constructive relationships and hobbies in order to decrease the delinquency rate in Lee County. She continues to impact the lives of local youth when partnering with Our House, a faith-based organization that aims to spread love to the families living in Auburn public housing. With the EAGLES program, Knox has found a tenderness as a big sister for many women in the organization which aims welcome students with intellectual disabilities into the Auburn Family. Finally, at the Auburn Sustenance Project, she volunteers her time to ensure that impoverished children in Auburn city schools have food on the table and in their stomachs. Knox is a two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll as well as the Auburn Athletic Director's Honor Roll. In 2022, she joined the Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society. Knox was rewarded for her bravery, perseverance and positive attitude following the unexpected passing of her older brother, Luke, prior to the start of the 2022 season with Auburn's annual Inspiration Award.
Maddy Rhodes, Florida
Redshirt junior Maddy Rhodes volunteered more than 62 hours for community service events since fall of 2022. Many of her activities were through the Campus Multi-Faith Cooperative and the Awana Ministry Children's Church. Rhodes wrapped and made several shoes and socks deliveries as part of the Gator Tracks program, which distributed more than 400 shoes/socks to Gainesville area youth in December of 2022. She was a frequent participant in mentoring and reading programs at Lake Forest Elementary School, serving as a role model for the youth of Gainesville. She also worked with children at last spring's Gators Field Day.
Mallie McKenzie, Georgia
During her time at Georgia, Mallie McKenzie has participated in a variety of community service projects. In January, McKenzie joined fellow student-athletes for the MLK Day of Service, helping with cleaning and beautification efforts at the Brooklyn Cemetery, one of the first African-American cemeteries built in Athens. She took part in the "Girl Power" event at the Athens Boys and Girls Club, helping to promote fitness and physical activity for area youth. She has also volunteered with the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia and Athens Regional Hospital Healing Garden throughout her career. In 2021, McKenzie was inducted into the University of Georgia L.E.A.D. Leadership Academy, working with fellow student-athletes to encourage leadership development, promote community engagement, and assist in preparation for post-graduate activities. She also served as a team representative to the UGA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee during the 2022 season.
Tallulah Miller, Kentucky
Miller has been an engaged member of the Lexington community while at Kentucky, volunteering her time for several events and organizations. Miller has spent time packing meals to be delivered to God's Pantry Food Bank in Lexington, volunteering as a gardener with Kentucky Tree Work, organizing donations for Project Christmas Miracle and participating in the University of Kentucky softball's Big Blue Boo event. Miller serves as the Historian on the University of Kentucky Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, an organization which represents student-athletes at the University of Kentucky, seeking to ensure UK Athletics provides each sport and every student-athlete with a quality environment and the essentials to be competitive as a student-athlete and a team. Miller was selected as one of two representatives of the University of Kentucky Athletic Department to participate in the SEC Leadership Council in the Spring of 2023. She was also named to the 2022 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Mollee Swift, LSU
Swift is a two-time member of the SEC Community Service Team. This year, Swift continues to indulger herself in various community service events around Baton Rouge. She gathered school supplies and packed them into backpacks for children in need, painted a mural on the walls of the Jewel Newman Center along with freshening up their sidewalks, participated in a soccer clinic in Lafayette and donated canned foods to help with the LSU food pantry as a part of the Make Your Mark event where voting and community engagement was celebrated. She also participated in the LSU Thank-a-Thon, where she called donors thanking them for their contributions to the LSU community and athletics.
Aubrey Mister, Ole Miss
Mister participated in the Feed the 'Sip Initiative helping to collect over 7,000 non-perishable food items to children in Tunica County and Quitman County. She also volunteered for RebelTHON to raise money for those children in need in conjunction with the Children Miracle Network Hospitals. She assisted at Hygiene Hijack, helping in the collection of over 500 hygiene products during their travel for road competition. These items were donated to Ole Miss' campus violence and prevention offices. Mister also assisted with the collection of over 1,300 items to make 107 Holiday food baskets at Adopt-a-Basket for those less fortunate in the community. She was a part of Reading With the Rebels, visiting the local elementary schools in the L.O.U. areas, where she was able to read and engage with the children in the classrooms. Mister was also one of many Rebel student-athletes who collected non-perishable food items, along with hygiene materials to share with those who lost their homes and supplies during the tornado in the Rolling Fork, MS area. She has also mentored and supported young soccer players on little league soccer teams during the offseason as a POC Soccer Coach.
Ilana Izquierdo, Mississippi State
Ilana Izquierdo dedicated a total of 20 hours to various community service activities throughout the year. Most recently on October 13th, 2023, she participated in Volley-O-Ween, engaging in various games and activities with children in the Starkville Community before a volleyball match. On July 23rd, 2023, she contributed her time to the Starkville Strong Neighbors Helping Neighbors initiative, assisting in packaging and distributing meals to those in need within the Starkville community. Continuing her commitment, on July 8th, 2023, Ilana engaged with residents at the Montgomery Gardens Assisted Living Home, participating in activities and interactions. On February 10th, 2023, she was actively involved with The Boys & Girls Club, playing soccer and assisting with a clinic for children in the aftercare program. Ilana also lent her support on March 4th, 2023, by assisting with the MSU Soccer Clinic. She further contributed to her community on March 23rd, 2023, by organizing and sorting goods at Bully's Closet & Pantry on campus. On April 2nd, 2023, she played a role in the StarkVegas Football Jamboree by assisting with a flag football tournament. Her dedication to community service continued as she returned to Bully's Closet & Pantry on April 27th, 2023, for another round of organizing and sorting goods. Finally, on April 26th, 2023, she volunteered at Casserole Kitchen, distributing meals to those in need. Ilana Izquierdo's active participation in these diverse community service events exemplifies her commitment to making a positive impact in her local community.
Jenna McCormick, Missouri
Jenna McCormick has continued to support the Columbia, Mo. community with her time and effort, totaling 115 hours of community service this year. McCormick has spent most of her time at the Central Missouri Humane Society. While there, she helps with socialization time for cats and dogs, exercise and general kennel assistance. Additionally, the junior has taken the time to work with Welcome Home, A Community for Veterans, and Jenny's Wildlife Wonderland, as well as with the youth at various schools (Rock Bridge Elementary, St. Joseph Catholic, Battle Elementary and the Booneville Youth Clinic). McCormick's humanitarian efforts reach all aspects of the community; from veterans to animals, food banks to the youth, walks to end Alzheimer's and the Special Olympics, her impact is noticed and felt.
Hallie Meadows, South Carolina
Hallie Meadows has been a leader on and off the field this season, putting in over 30 hours of community service in addition to her role in the starting lineup. Meadows has volunteered with local elementary schools, the Prisma Children's Hospital, Meals on Wheels, the Special Olympics, and The Therapy place - a local occupational, physical and speech & language facility offering services for children with special needs. The senior has also assisted with orthopedic screenings for physicals at Mountain Brook High School.
Giselle Washington, Tennessee
Redshirt-senior Giselle Washington has logged 92 hours of community service during her time on Rocky Top. She was a member of the 2021-22 VOLeaders cohort that traveled to Rwanda for 10 days over the summer, serving local communities there. She has also been active in giving back to the Knoxville community, volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee, regularly teaching P.E. at Lonsdale Elementary school, participating in Read to Lead and helping organize a Project Life Donor Drive on campus. Washington is a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and earned 2022 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors. She has been active with the Jamaican National Team, helping the Reggae Girlz qualify for the country's first-ever FIFA Women's World Cup in 2019.
Lauren Geczik, Texas A&M
Geczik has served as a team leader each of the last two years helping the Aggies raise nearly $40,000 for the Turn It Gold Foundation in the fight against childhood cancer. She has recently been active both in Houston, volunteering at reading and match camps at Family Point Resources outreach center, and in Bryan-College Station working with kids in the gym, game room, art room and classroom at the Boys and Girls Club of Brazos Valley. Last spring, she provided services at Stratford High School Project Prom. Earlier in her collegiate career, Geczik has volunteered as part of National Women and Girls in Sports Day Elementary School Seminar and Texas A&M Soccer Free Youth Camps as well as beginning her work at the Boys and Girls Club of Brazos Valley.
Tina Bruni, Vanderbilt
A member of the Student‐Athlete Advisory Committee, Bruni is active in both her and her teammates' success on and off the field. She participated in a team volunteer initiative with Habitat for Humanity during the spring of 2022. In 2023, Bruni organized for the entire team to participate in service with Feed the Children. As a SAAC member, she was instrumental in initiatives like organizing holiday parties with Nashville Elementary Schools. Additionally, Tina Bruni is an integral part of Vandy Soccer's Dancing Dores Team. Dancing Dores is the Vanderbilt Athletics arm of Vanderbilt University Dance Marathon, a national philanthropic organization to raise money and awareness for pediatric hospitals on a local level. Bruni has donated her time with Dancing Dores through philanthropic efforts, family and patient affairs, as well as team leadership. While interning in New York City, Bruni also volunteered with BBH Cares, where she spent the day in a warehouse packaging food. While traveling with the team to South Africa, Bruni helped orchestrate multiple clinics in different communities throughout Cape Town. This month, Tina Bruni is involved in several activities including participating in a trick or treating event hosted at Vanderbilt for children in the greater Nashville metro area. They will be passing out candy and decorating the houses with young children in Greater Nashville.