NEW ORLEANS – The Sun Belt has announced its first All-Sun Belt Community Service Team following the conclusion of the 2024-25 academic year. The program recognizes student-athletes who demonstrate exceptional dedication to community service.
 
The recognition was developed in conjunction with the Sun Belt Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) to highlight the importance of community service within the conference's mission, while continuing the celebration of the impactful contributions happening on all 14 Sun Belt campuses.
 
The All-Sun Belt Community Service Team is an initiative aimed to recognize one student-athlete from each Sun Belt institution who has shown outstanding dedication to community service. Each school is invited to nominate one student-athlete who demonstrates excellence in community service, particularly in the leadership and execution of these efforts.
 
App State
Tucker Sangster, Junior, Men’s Cross Country
Sangster completed 60 hours of service through a variety of impactful initiatives. He assisted with disaster relief efforts following Hurricane Helene in partnership with NASCAR, helping to organize and distribute essential supplies to affected communities. Sangster also participated in Operation Christmas Child, assembling shoeboxes filled with gifts for children in need around the world. His involvement in a local canned food drive supported hunger relief efforts, while his volunteer work during freshman move-in helped ease the transition for new students on campus.
 
Arkansas State
Corey Rucker, Senior, Football
Dedicated to the university and Jonesboro community, Rucker strives to make a difference in the lives of others and leads with compassion. He contributed countless hours reading to elementary schools, visiting local patients in the hospital, working youth camps, participating as a member of SAAC, passing out schedules on campus and around town, helping distribute toys for Toys for Tots, playing with kids during recess and feeding the Gulf Coast while in Mobile during the week of the team’s bowl game.
 
Coastal Carolina
Nicolette Picone, Senior, Softball
Picone’s twin sister was born with Down Syndrome and inspires her to be the best version of herself on the field, in the classroom, and in my community. Wanting to better understand her experiences and strengthen their bond, she began volunteering at Camp Anchor, where individuals with special needs can truly be themselves — a place that has been special to her sister since she was five. Her passion for serving others has grown over the years, and during her time at Coastal Carolina, she found fulfillment volunteering for Special Olympics, reading to kindergarteners, mentoring elementary students, and visiting senior care facilities.
 
Georgia Southern
Pichon Wimbley, Senior, Football
A nominee for the 2025 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, Pichon engages in various community service events that range from speaking at elementary, middle and high schools to volunteering his photography skills to various groups, putting in time at Feed the Boro and reading to children during Read Across America.
 
Georgia State
Mikyla Tolivert, Graduate, Women’s Basketball
Tolivert served as the women’s basketball team’s representative for SAAC while planning community service events, encouraging other student-athletes and teams to be involved and raise awareness to their concerns. She also served as President of the Black Student-Athlete Association, organizing and presiding over all meetings, meeting agendas, and serving as the primary spokesperson. Additionally, Tolivert serves as an active member of the National Association Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on campus promoting advocacy, awareness and inclusivity among students while taking part in activities that support community involvement, voter education and social justice.
 
James Madison
Sierra Puleo, Senior, Women’s Track & Field
Puleo served as President and Founding Member of Run Harrisonburg, a volunteer-driven program that strives to build a future where collegiate athletes join with local communities to ensure team sports are accessible to all kids regardless of socioeconomic factors. In this first year, James Madison served as a home to become a beacon of health, inclusion, and community engagement through sports, while Puleo set the standard for servant leadership as she navigated establishing the organization while maintaining a commitment to empowering student-athletes from various sport programs to pay it forward.
 
Louisiana
Natalie Mayes, Sophomore, Women’s Soccer
Mayes’ service spans a wide range of impactful initiatives, including fostering animals on weekends through Acadiana Animal Aid, volunteering with Love, Acadiana—a faith-based nonprofit that mobilizes volunteers to serve the community—and assisting with events hosted by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Mayes has also made several heartfelt holiday visits to local women’s and children’s hospitals, offering support and kindness during special times of the year. She is passionate about creating opportunities for the university's L.I.F.E. Program (Learning Is For Everyone), which supports individuals with developmental disabilities, and contributes to the growth of soccer by assisting with local youth practices and skills development. Additionally, assists with the University of Louisiana’s Freshman Move-In Week, a Girls on the Run 5K event and serves as an active member of SAAC.

ULM
Asjha Leake, Senior, Women’s Basketball
Leake was a member of the SAAC committee and contributed over 179 hours of community service while still studying, competing and traveling. Whether it was reading at a school, assisting with field day or helping at the local food bank, Leake is best known as a servant heart who puts her whole heart into it and leaves things better than she found them.
 
Marshall
Alicia Rivera, Senior, Women’s Track & Field
Rivera started the HerdPaws initiative to support the adoption of mature dogs from the Cabell County area and to collect donations of food, toys and supplies for the Huntington Cabell Wayne Animal Shelter.
 
Old Dominion
Imo Essien, Senior, Men’s Basketball
Essien contributed over 150 years of service in 2024-25 despite being unable to compete in the wake of a medical emergency that he had experienced the year prior. One of the ways he coped was doing things for others, and for several years, he has put on a free elementary school basketball clinic in his hometown. Essien led an after-school clinic for a Norfolk area elementary school and handled parking for a diversity in aquatics event that taught minority youth how to swim. He also ran meals to a downtown homeless shelter, played bingo and served at the Union Mission shelter, and painted shoes with youth cancer patients to bring awareness to juvenile cancer.
 
South Alabama
Judah Brown, Graduate, Men’s Basketball
Brown served his local community by reading to multiple local youth schools, collaborated on the annual Jag Jingle Event for Boys and Girls Club and participated in a bi-weekly food drive for the Rightway Christian Center. In addition, he helped the Jaguars’ men’s basketball program sponsor Hooper's Heroes which offered pediatric cancer patients an opportunity to live "a day in the life of a student-athlete.” Brown assisted at multiple Corpus Christi Catholic School free youth basketball camps and supported the Shooting To Change Autism Awareness cause and contributed over 175 hours serving the City of Mobile.
 
Southern Miss
Madeline Moody, Senior, Softball
Moody represented her team as a SAAC member and keeps track of all the service hours accumulated by her teammates, as the Golden Eagles’ softball team received the 2025 SAAC Talon Awards Community Impact Award for the most community service hours (1,218). Moody has also participated with Read Across America, Suicide Awareness Month, Trick or Treat at the Pete, Collect Canned Goods for USM food pantry and volunteered at kids' softball camps.
 
Texas State
Lauryn Small, Graduate, Women’s Track & Field
As SAAC President at Texas State, Small coordinated a wide range of impactful events and initiatives, including organizing food drives, fun runs to raise awareness for important causes, and orchestrating the university’s largest end-of-the-year awards banquet for student-athletes. Small also assisted campus voter registration efforts by setting up informational booths. Additionally, she spearheaded the "Let’s SAAC Hunger" food drive during the spring football game and partnered with campus organizations to host the "CATS Against Cancer" fun run to raise breast cancer awareness. Her dedication extended to creative events like Trunk-or-Treat, where she engaged with fans and distributed candy during senior night for the soccer team, as well as participating in the Harvey Miller Trash Cleanup, helping to beautify the Dunbar community in San Marcos.
 
Troy
Abby Grosinske, Senior, Women’s Track & Field
As SAAC President at Troy, Grosinske played a vital role in impactful events such as Bench Out Breast Cancer, MLK Day of Service and multiple drives benefiting the local community—contributing over 300 volunteer hours. Her dedication extended to the Miracle League, where she served as a buddy to players, ensuring their safety and supporting their social, emotional and physical development. Additionally, Grosinske volunteered in the Kids Ministry at Church of the Highlands, guiding and supporting children aged 3-5 each week.