Arkansas Tech University’s softball program emerged from a 64-team bracket representing all levels of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to win the fall 2020 Helper Helper Team Challenge.
The Golden Suns completed more than 1,000 hours of volunteer service during the community engagement competition.
Arkansas Tech softball won head-to-head community service match-ups the University of Louisville women’s lacrosse team, the University of Utah women’s basketball team, the Rutgers University women’s soccer team, the Towson University women’s gymnastics team the Georgia Southern University women’s softball team and the University of Alabama-Birmingham women’s tennis team on its way to the title.
“We are so excited about winning the Helper Helper Service Challenge for the fall,” said Kristina McSweeney, ATU head softball coach. “Service is a major component of our program, so we put in a lot of time and effort into this amazing community. We look forward to continuing the history of service that our program has established. We will continue to do our best to be examples not only in the classroom and on the field but also in our wonderful community.”
ATU softball community service projects during fall 2020 included volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club of the Arkansas River Valley, writing letters to elementary school pen pals, trash pickups on campus and in the community and a canned food drive.
The Golden Suns softball team was joined in the national semifinals of the fall 2020 Helper Helper team challenge by the Arkansas Tech volleyball team, which won four head-to-head community service competitions before falling to the UAB women’s tennis team in the penultimate round.
The ATU Office of Athletics Communication provided information for this article.
