SEC Release:
Birmingham, Ala. – 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 18th annual women’s soccer Community Service Team follows:
Kat Rogers, Alabama
A graduate student with the Crimson Tide, Kat Rogers has been a leader for the Alabama soccer team both on and off the field. The UA graduate student continues to lead the team in community service activities. This semester, Rogers has worked with the Rise Center and CrossingPoints. At the Rise Center, she helped young children both with and without special needs develop the skills necessary to succeed in a school setting. ¬In addition to her time at the Rise Center, Rogers has worked with Crossing Points where she helped students with intellectual disabilities. Over her career, she has served as a member of SAAC and worked with Halloween Extravaganza, Project Angle Tree, and Beat Auburn Beat Hunger. Rogers has logged over 40 hours of community service. She was named to the Community Service team twice, earning the honor for the 2020-21 and 2021 seasons.
Bryana Hunter, Arkansas
Bryana Hunter has participated in many community service activities around Northwest Arkansas. Most notably, she took part in the Tyson food truck event, where several tractor-trailers loaded with chicken and other food from the Tyson plant in nearby Springdale, Arkansas came down to campus. Hunter and other student-athletes helped distribute over 80,000 pounds of items to over 60 local nonprofits that help those in need. Hunter serves as the marketing chair for the department’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She is also a past community service team member (2021).
Makenna Garcia, Auburn
Makenna Garcia has been an impact player on the Auburn roster and in her communities. Garcia volunteers weekly at Auburn’s Storybook Farm, a non-profit organization that uses equine therapy to provide children with disabilities and illnesses with some relaxation in a joyful break from the real world. Garcia’s passion for the youth extends in her work with Esperanza House, where she serves as a role model for Hispanic youth in the Lee County community. Outside of Lee County, Garcia also volunteers for Feeding Texas, an Austin-based non-profit that focuses on ending hunger in the state. Finally, Garcia also gives back to the game as a volunteer coach and mentor for her hometown soccer club. Joined in Auburn soccer’s efforts with hosting the Eagles Program, a support group for students with intellectual disabilities, for a soccer day. Also visited Ogletree Elementary with the team to mentor children in the afterschool program.
Kouri Peace, Florida
Senior Kouri Peace volunteered more than 46 hours for community service events since fall of 2021. These activities include the 2022 Night to Shine, an evening celebrating people with special needs. She wrapped shoes and socks as part of the Gator Tracks program, which distributed 396 shoes to Gainesville area youth in December of 2021. Peace was a frequent participate in Lunch Buddies Mentor Program at Lake Forest Elementary School, serving as a role model for the youth of Gainesville. She also visited with pediatric patients at Shands Hospital and participated in other local community activities.
Abby Boyan, Georgia
Abby Boyan has volunteered with the Clarke County Mentor Program since fall 2018, serving as a mentor to students at Barrow Elementary School while offering support, advice, and encouragement. Boyan has also volunteered with the Special Olympics of Northeast Georgia since spring 2019, assisting the organization with its annual “Hometown Heroes and Rivals” baseball game and Fall Prom. She is also the co-president and co-founder of Caring Senior Services (CSS), a non-profit organization founded to interact with the elderly and increase their activities through positive interaction and support.
Peyton Rimko, Kentucky
Peyton has contributed more than 30 hours of community service during her time in Lexington working primarily at God’s Pantry Food Bank and the Hope Center. She has helped pick up and drop off food crates at local elementary schools while also serving meals to the homeless population. Peyton was also involved Kentucky’s telethon back in August to raise funds for flood victims in Eastern Kentucky. Thus far this season, the defender has appeared in six games for the Wildcats, making three starts. Was named to the SEC Community Service Team in 2020 and 2021. Twice named to SEC Fall Sports Academic Honor Roll.
Mollee Swift, LSU
Senior Mollee Swift continues to give back to the community. In the spring, Swift’s community service efforts included participating in the Louisiana Key Academy Soccer Clinic as well as their field day, reading to 2nd graders via zoom for Read Across America, running a craft booth at the Baton Rouge Zoo for Zippity Zoo Festival, assisting in Miracle League Baseball and helping run a soccer clinic with TOPSoccer for kids with disabilities. So far this fall, Swift has visited Our Lady of the Lake Hospital and ran a trivia game for the children in the hospital, helped make tutus and headbands for the Girls on the Run nonprofit organization and donated shirts and handcrafted dog toys to a local shelter. Community service is something that Swift values as she continues to find ways to give back to her community.
Mo O’Connor, Ole Miss
O’Connor participated in the Feed the Sip program during the fall of 2021 and spring of 2022, helping collect and donate over 900 non-perishable items for the Stronger Together initiative, which supports feeding elementary-aged children from Quitman and Tunica Counties. She also volunteered for RebelTHON to raising money for those children in need in conjunction with the Children Miracle Network Hospitals. She donated her time to Book and Bears where she collected gently used books and bears, which are given to the facilities workers on the university campus as a thank you for their service. She participated in College Football Playoffs Extra Yard, which gave back to local teachers in the community with doughnuts as a small thank you. Mentored and supported young soccer players on little league soccer teams during the offseason as a POC Soccer Coach.
Macey Hodge, Mississippi State
Second-year captain Macey Hodge has made her presence felt off the field and in the Starkville Community just as much as she has on the field. This season, Hodge has served as a Partnership Middle School Mentor where she meets with different students multiple times a month and talks with them about life, and assists them with any homework questions. Also at Partnership, she served on the Middle School’s Welcome Committee at the start of the school year. Hodge also gave her time to this year’s MLK Day of Service where she and other individuals helped clean up the Boys and Girls Club in Starkville. While balancing both her academics and athletics schedule, Hodge volunteered at Bingo Night at The Claiborne at Adelaide, as well as the TK Martin Center where she was able to interact with multiple members in the Starkville community and surrounding areas.
Jenna McCormick, Missouri
Jenna McCormick has not let her inability to be on the field with her team this season stop her from major contributions off it. McCormick has totaled 37.5 hours of community service over the past year, mainly working with the Central Missouri Humane Society. During her hours of contribution, the sophomore has helped with cat and dog socialization, exercise, dog walking, and doggy days out. Throughout her time helping, many cats and dogs have felt love and support before finding permanent homes. McCormick has also spent time at local elementary schools, reading to kids and assisting with literacy programs, as well as volunteering for Day Dreams Foundation Field Day.
Riane Coman, South Carolina
Riane Coman is currently the student body president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) in the midlands area. Coman has assisted in organizing ways to help serve her community, including a public speaking engagement at Fields of Faith at Segra Park. There, Coman interned with FCA twice while helping execute student gatherings, in addition to leading the charge on putting together leadership team events. Coman will travel to Israel with a group of 10 FCA students this winter for 10 days to continue their efforts in creating a sense of community across the globe. After graduation, Riane will be working with FCA in college ministry as Area Representative and International Advancement Coordinator in the Midlands.
Jaida Thomas, Tennessee
Redshirt-junior Jaida Thomas has logged 128 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 the Knoxville community, volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters, teaching P.E. at a Lonsdale Elementary School one day a week and participating in Read to Lead to promote literacy by reading to local elementary school classes.
Ali Russell, Texas A&M
Ali Russell spearheaded the fundraising efforts for Texas A&M’s annual Turn It Gold match. Through their efforts, Texas A&M raised more than $26,000 for the Turn It Gold Foundation, a program record. The efforts included a social media fundraising drive, uniform auction, and sales of replica Turn It Gold jerseys at the Aggies’ match against Georgia on September 16. Turn It Gold serves to lead the fight against pediatric cancer.
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 2021. As a SAAC member, she was instrumental in initiatives like National Day of Service and Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign. Additionally, Tina Bruni was 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.
