IRVING — Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky announced Wednesday the 14 student-athletes that have received the league's Fall Spirit of Service Award and senior volleyball player Dempsey Thornton was recognized as UTSA's honoree.
Thornton finished her career as a Roadrunner with a team-high 416 kills en route to the program's second consecutive C-USA Regular Season Championship, but her work off the court has been just as impressive.
The Corpus Christi native has traveled internationally as part of the Athletes for Action and she is a member of UTSA’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), where she has spoken to more than 25 local schools. Furthermore, Thornton is the co-founder of “The Locker Room,” which is a similar organization to the FCA and specific to UTSA. The Corpus Christi native also leads weekly Bible studies, is a volunteer leader for YoungLife College and an active member of the Rowdy Readers youth mentoring program.
In the classroom, Thornton maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA in sport, event & tourism management and she was a 2014 C-USA All-Academic Team selection, as well as a CoSIDA Academic All-District VII honoree.
The C-USA Spirit of Service Award is designed to recognize the community service efforts of the league’s student-athletes, based upon significant community service, good academic standing and participation in their elected sport.
The Spirit of Service Award is presented three times throughout the season, with today’s honorees representing Conference USA’s fall sports of cross country, football, soccer and volleyball.
Fall 2014 Conference USA Spirit of Service Award Honorees
· Sammie Bane, Marshall (volleyball)
· Heather Boyan, Western Kentucky (volleyball)
· Aleah Davis, UTEP (women’s soccer)
· Gabriela Iribarne, Rice (women’s soccer)
· Jessica Klamut, Old Dominion (women’s soccer)
· Hunter Lee, Louisiana Tech (football)
· Cyril Lemon, North Texas (football)
· Amanda Odato, Florida Atlantic (women’s soccer)
· Morgan Richards, Charlotte (women’s cross country)
· Chelsea Ross, Middle Tennessee (volleyball)
· Sara Stewart, FIU (women’s soccer)
· Dempsey Thornton, UTSA (volleyball)
· Rebecca Ulrich, Southern Miss (women’s cross country)
· Hunter Weber, UAB (men’s soccer)