The University of Louisville Alumni Magazine: for alumni, faculty, staff, students and anyone that is a UofL Cardinal fan.
Issue link: https://louisville.epubxp.com/i/705015
2 2 | L O U I S V I L L E . E D U Athletics UofL baseball and soccer teams recognized for volunteer efforts University of Louisville athletic teams constantly work hard on the f eld, but now their volunteer ef- forts off the f eld are earning accolades as well. The Louisville baseball team was the nation's No.1 NCAA community service team for fall 2015. Meanwhile, the ACC recognized the men's soccer team as "Game Changers" for the team's "Kickin' It With JT & Friends" soccer clinic that focuses on helping the special needs community. First up are the baseball student athletes. The team visited the Dominican Republic in Oct. 2015 for its f rst ever international trip. The Cardinals gained valuable time on the f eld against talented Dominican teams while also assisting with multiple community service projects, including teaching the fundamentals of baseball to a group of more than 70 kids ranging in age from 8 to 18 years old in Santo Domingo, visiting and providing food to a girls orphanage and two nearby villages, and interact- ing with local families while sharing food donated through SCORE International. Along with "Kickin' It With JT & Friends," the men's soccer team participated in community service through their annual soccer clinic, which now operates at capacity with 50 participants and over 100 volunteers. The team also partnered with Churchill School for special needs children to develop an adapted, soccer-specif c curriculum for students ages 5 to 21 with special needs. Overall, the University of Louisville ranked sixth nationally for total hours and participation rate for the fall, while the Cardinals men's and women's tennis teams joined the baseball team as the top ranking programs in those respective sports. UofL teams continue to make strides in both community service and athletics. Baseball Head Coach Dan McDonnell and members of the Cardinals' baseball team attend a church service in a small village in the Dominican Republic during their service trip in October of 2015. Rendering of the football stadium renovation.