Courtesy: SEC Sports
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The SEC sponsors Community Service Teams for all 21 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 2021 SEC Men’s Swimming & Diving Community Service Team is as follows:
Cole Brown, Junior, Alabama
Brown led the Crimson Tide men’s team in community service hours for the second year in a row as a junior, earning a spot on the SEC Swimming and Diving Community Service Team for the second year as well. He has given of his time to Habitat for Humanity, the Crimson Tide’s Halloween Extravaganza, the Alberta Head Start, the Trunk or Treat event as well as Project Angel Tree. As a member of Alabama’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Brown also helps direct the Crimson Tide’s overall community service efforts. A two-year member of Alabama’s SEC Championship squad, Brown has been named to the Dean’s List (3.5-or-better grade point average) throughout his Alabama career.
Davis Edwards, Sophomore, Auburn
Edwards is in his second year at Auburn and has been active in the community while also getting involved at the university level. He is one of the leaders in Auburn’s CONNECT program, where he engages in monthly leadership development and serves a mentor for freshmen student-athletes. Edwards supports the monthly freshman transition events through planning and leads small group discussions at the end of each event. He has also volunteered at the East Alabama Food Bank multiple times over the last 14 months. This past summer, Edwards completed 10 hours at the food bank on his own time. He also served there with the other members from the men’s team in December 2019. Following his freshman year at Auburn, Edwards was selected as a CSCAA Scholar All-American and also made the First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Nick Lydon, Junior, Florida
Lydon has been a mainstay in the Gainesville community in his time at UF. Most notably, he has participated in Goodwill Gators which made regular trips to Shands Hospital, the Fall Festival at Trinity United Methodist Church, and the Climb for Cancer. In his visits to Shands, Lydon and fellow student-athletes visited pediatric patients who are awaiting treatment. During the visits, student-athletes help patients focus on sharing stories, favorites, and sharing a laugh. The Climb for Cancer is a student-athlete-led sports camp for children who have or have had cancer. Student-athletes lead the children through basketball, football, volleyball, soccer, and cheer/dance. Student-athletes partner up with children ensuring that everyone has a good time no matter what their limitations may be. Lydon has also been successful in the classroom as he has been named to the 2019 SEC First-Year Honor Roll, the 2020 SEC Academic Honor Roll and the 2020 CSCAA Scholar All-America Second Team.
Grant Norgan, Senior, Georgia
Norgan has been an active member of the University of Georgia athletic community during his three seasons in Athens, assisting with various efforts related to diversity and inclusion. Since September 2019, Norgan has served as the team liaison for The Georgia Way, acting as an ambassador for their Cultural & Diversity and Behavioral Medicine program sectors. Through these roles, he promotes and connects fellow student-athletes with resources related to life outside of sport, including International Student Life and the LGBT Resource Center. One of these promotional activities included starring in a social media video sharing his story in October 2020, as part of the NCAA Diversity and Inclusion social media campaign. Related to these efforts, he is a member of the UGA Athletic Association Diversity & Inclusion Committee, a leadership group that engages in education, advocacy, and service opportunities that help foster a more inclusive athletic community. Additionally, he served as a field volunteer in South Carolina for Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign, providing education and communication to potential primary voters. In addition to his advocacy work, Norgan joined his teammates in participating in Swim Across America Atlanta in 2018 and 2019, raising funds to benefit Children Healthcare of Atlanta’s cancer research initiative. During the event, he served as an “Angel Swimmer,” assisting and encouraging young participants in the open-water 5K swim. Last season, Norgan was named to both the CSCAA All-America and Second Team All-SEC after earning a bronze medal in the 800 freestyle relay at the SEC Championships. This fall, he was named to the J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Honor Roll for the fifth-consecutive semester, adding Dean’s List honors. He was also named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll for the winter 2020 season.
Hank Siefert, Senior, Kentucky
Siefert has completed more than 25 hours of community service during his time at the University of Kentucky. In his three and a half years as a student-athlete, he has donated more than eight hours to the Habitat for Humanity, more than five hours with the Lexington Fayette-Urban County Government Coldstream Park project, more than five hours volunteering at the Central Kentucky Free to Breathe 5K Run & Walk, more than three hours spending time with children at the Kentucky Children’s Hospital, more than two hours at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk, and more than two hours helping senior citizens downsize through the Let’s Get Moving campaign. In his most recent volunteer activity, Siefert spent more than three hours on a Zoom call with ill children staying at the Kentucky Children’s Hospital to create conversation and lift their spirits. In addition to his own volunteer activities, as a team captain, he has also spent this season being an exemplary leader, helping present community service opportunities to his teammates and encouraging their participation. Siefert qualified for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials, while he is also a three-year SEC Academic Honor Roll student.
Luca Pfyffer, Senior, LSU
Pfyffer participates in Reading & Activity and the St. Jude Walk/Run or local primary schools in the Baton Rouge area. He has worked on multiple sustainability projects for LSU throughout his time as a Tiger. Pfyffer is a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Grant Reed, Senior, Missouri
In his four years in Columbia, Reed has volunteered extensive hours serving the community. He has spent with Swim Across America and The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri. Additionally, Reed volunteered his time with the Mizzou Youth Experience, Mizzou Moves and the Soap Box Derby.
Andrew Grespin, Sophomore, South Carolina
Grespin has been involved with several outreach projects in his brief time at South Carolina. He helped with a teammate’s backpack initiative project this past year as part of a massive school supplies drive at W.G. Sanders Middle School in Columbia. In total, over 7,000 items were donated. Grespin also volunteered his time with the University’s mental health department during mental health awareness week and has led the team’s efforts with the Headway Foundation, which helps provide awareness and knowledge of head injuries in sports. He spent time volunteering at Pawmetto Lifeline, a non-profit organization in the Midlands that strives to give homeless pets a new leash on life.
Matthew Wade, Junior, Tennessee
Wade has participated in a wide range of community service efforts at the University of Tennessee. A member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, he helped organize the community holiday meal as well as serve members of the community during the dinner. Through SAAC, Wade has helped with Tennessee’s annual Voloween, which welcomes children and their parents into UT’s athletic facilities to participate in games, win prizes and trick-or-treat in a safe environment. He is also a part of the VOLeaders program and has spent time working with local schools in the Knoxville area, the Love Kitchen, and the Knoxville Area Rescue Mission. Wade has volunteered with the 2nd & 7 Foundation on numerous occasions, promoting reading and providing free books to children in need. He has also participated in the Man Run, which raises awareness and donations for prostate cancer and men’s health research done by the University of Tennessee Medical Center. Wade is a four-time All-American and qualified for NCAAs in each of his first two seasons on Rocky Top.
Peter Simmons, Junior, Texas A&M
Simmons has spearheaded efforts within the Texas A&M men’s swimming & diving program to give their time to Aggies Can, the largest student-athlete volunteer run canned food drive in the nation the gives back to people all over the Brazos Valley, Aggies Build, Brazos Valley Food Bank and the Big Event. He was chosen to be Vice President of Selfless Service for 589 student athletes in the Texas A&M Athletic Department as a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. During the pandemic, Simmons has helped establish alternative virtual community service events with such groups as Aggies Can, REVed up to Read, Aggies Move, Voter Registration, and more, assuring that A&M student-athletes are still able to support and uplift the local community both on campus and in the Brazos Valley. He assisted in remolding Selfless Service Ambassador Program to utilize charitable student-athletes to optimize and develop community service events. Simmons was selected as a team captain as a junior and is a two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member. Majoring in mechanical engineering, he has dedicated time to conducting research within the A&M mechanical engineering department, working with ultrasonic sensor data to assist in creating an app that helps visually impaired gamers. Simmons has also worked with the Texas Transportation Institute CARTEEH Program researching Low Cost Air Pollution Sensors.