INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The University of Memphis women’s soccer team ranked No. 2 among all NCAA Division I institutions in community service in 2016-17, NCAA Team Works and Helper Helper announced Friday.
The Tigers were recognized for their work with St. Jude, the Foundation Fighting Blindness and Youth Villages among many others.
“This recognition is really special and unique. We always talk about how fortunate our kids are to be able to do what they do. This world needs people to give back and I’m so proud of this group for giving up their time and giving back to the world,” Memphis head coach Brooks Monaghan said. “We have a great group of kids, who are not only great soccer players, but unbelievable students and just unbelievable citizens.”
Last fall Memphis was recognized for having the highest grade point average in all of Division I during the 2015-16 academic year. The team GPA of 3.78 was the program’s highest ever. Memphis women’s soccer has proven to be the premier academic program in the American Athletic Conference as well, receiving the league’s Team Academic Excellence Award in back-to-back seasons.
The Tigers have also been nationally recognized on the field, standing among those receiving votes for the NSCAA national rankings throughout last season. Memphis returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011, playing at Arkansas in the first round.
NCAA Team Works, which coordinates community service efforts at NCAA championships, and Helper Helper, a volunteer management and tracking platform, launched the community service competition to recognize student-athletes who give back to their communities. The schools’ rankings are based on the amount of service hours completed and the participation of student-athletes.
Source: http://www.gotigersgo.com/news/2017/4/24/womens-soccer-ranks-no-2-in-community-service.aspx
