EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville recognized some of their outstanding student athletes for their work in the community of Evansville on Wednesday night. In between games of the UE softball team's doubleheader, UE honored their top 20 student athletes is regards to the amount of volunteer hours they have accumulated throughout the school year. Evansville also honored the top teams as whole who have accumulated the most hours as a team.
The Top 20 Student Athletes were:
- Mallory Ladd- Women's Basketball
- Sara Dickey- Women's Basketball
- Laura Friday- Women's Basketball
- Sasha Robinson- Women's Basketball
- Hayli Scott- Softball
- Mariah Ferguson- Softball
- Samantha Fleming- Softball
- Simone Busby- Women's Soccer
- Haylee Tracy- Softball
- Abbi Fahse- Softball
- Khristian Hart- Women's Basketball
- Morgan Lambert- Softball
- Courtney Land- Softball
- Amanda Blankenship- Softball
- Cecee Dopart- Softball
- Kat Taylor- Women's Basketball
- Allie Arguello- Women's Soccer
- Ashlee Kawall- Softball
- Emily Griebel- Women's Soccer
- Aailyah Gaines- Women's Basketball
Ladd accumulated 46 volunteer hours at 10 different agencies throughout the Evansville area some of which included the YMCA, the Walk to End Alzheimer's, and the Race for the Cure.
"We are proud of our young women for their efforts. They truly love giving back and being a part of our Evansville community. We have been given so much so it's important that we actively give back." said Women's Basketball Coach Oties Epps.
UE's Softball team ranked first in the number of hours of volunteerism accumulated with a total of 557 hours. In regards to the number of organizations volunteered at, the softball team finished third with 18 organizations served. Also earning top honors was the Women's Basketball team who volunteered a total of 397 hours and working with 20 different organizations, which ranked second in the department in both categories.
"The Evansville community has provided the UE Softball team as well as all of the other athletic teams at UE tremendous support this year. My teammates and I are very appreciative of all of the community support and we wanted to personally express our gratitude. Community service has allowed us to do just that. We have truly embraced the idea of teamwork during our community service activities. Community service has not only brought our team closer together, it has brought our community closer. Knowing that we are a big reason behind the smiles of children at Christmas time (Toys for Tots) or a factor in raising money for the March of Dimes, is the greatest feeling in the world. UE Softball is honored to be a part of something greater than our team or the University. We are blessed to be a part of the Evansville community and we plan to continue showing our gratitude both on and off the field." said Mariah Ferguson of the softball team.
Here are the organizations that the Aces have volunteered with this year:
Adopt-A-Highway
Alzheimer's Walk
Angel Mounds
Assistance League of Las Vegas
Aurora House
Bethel Manor
Binkey Patrol
Boys and Girls Club
Castle High School
Restore Coastal Louisiana
Deaconess Riley Children's Hospital
Delaware Middle School
Dexter Elementary
Dismis Charities
Dream Center
Evansville ARC
Evansville Rescue Mission
Floyd Central
Gleaners Food Bank
Glenwood Leadership
Gilda's Club
Grace EP Church
Habitat for Humanity
Holly's House
Holy Spirit Elementary
Hope for Inner City Ministries
House of Bread and Peace
Illinois Youth and Government Program
Indianapolis Dream Center
Joshua Academy
Keep Evansville Beautiful
Komen Race for the Cure
Lodge District Community
Louisville Soup Kitchen
March of Dimes: Southwest, IN
Memorial High School
Metro Sports
North Junior High School
Operation Smile
Ozanam Shelter
Patchwork Central
Project Linus
Resurrected Baptist Church
Ronald McDonald House
Rotary Santa Run
Scott Middle School
Signature Healthcare
St. Mary's Hospital
St. Benedict's
St. John's Catholic Church
St. Louis Youth Camp
St. Vincent Depaul Thrift Shop
SWIRCA
South Side Mission Peoria
Sykes Assistant Services
Texas Children's Hospital
Team Impact
Thrift Store
Thrive 360
Toys for Tots
Tri-State Athletic Club
Tri-State Food Bank
Tri-State Hot Stove League
Unchartered International
UE Softball Clinic
United Way/UE Day of Caring
Vogel Elementary
WNIN
YMCA
YWCA
