by Cal Aboud, SDA Communications Student Assistant
2015-16 marked yet another exceptional year for Sun Devil Athletics.
Members of the Sun Devil soccer team volunteering at this morning's @SusanGKomen Race for the Cure! #SunDevilsServe pic.twitter.com/4mIo3E0Sci
— Sun Devil Soccer (@ASUSoccer) October 11, 2015
v Men's golfer Jon Rahm tallied four wins (11 all-time; second-most in program history) en route to becoming the first two-time recipient of the prestigious Ben Hogan Award as the Sun Devils finished ninth nationally.
v Women's golfer Linnea Strom and the aforementioned Rahm swept Pac-12 Individual titles.
v Women's basketball made its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and was Pac-12 Conference co-champion.
v Sun Devil women's tennis garnered its first Pac-12 doubles championship courtesy of the Aussie duo Ebony Panoho and Alexandra Osborne.
v Water Polo continued to reach new heights, recording a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
v In total 13 student-athletes won Pac-12 titles, while Charli Turner Thorne of women's basketball and Sheila McInerney of women's tennis earned conference coach of the year honors.
Equally impressive is what the Maroon and Gold collectively managed to accomplish off the field, specifically in the form of community service.
The department, in conjunction with student-based organizations, including the Sun Devil Marching Band and 942 Crew, posted its best community service effort to date.
Great to visit the kids @YumaRegional with @ZekeJones and @ASU_Alumni today. #ForksUp @SunDevilHockey pic.twitter.com/2fsnIA5SHd
— Greg Powers (@asucoachpowers) May 25, 2016
Under Sun Devils Serve, a community service-based initiative overseen by Associate Athletic Director Bill Kennedy, 276,099 community members were served, not only in the valley, but across four states (Arizona, California, Nevada, and Louisiana) and three Native American Nations (Colorado River Indian Tribe, Gila River Indian Tribe, and Havasupai Tribe). The Sun Devil conglomerate logged 7,046 hours of service, marking the first time the department has eclipsed the 7,000-hour figure.
The @TheSunDevils invested more than 7,000 hours in the community this year. We were glad to be a part of it. https://t.co/uicUltDNLc
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) August 8, 2016
Sun Devil Athletics Community Service Metrics (2015-16/2014-15 Comparison)
-Community Members Served: 276,099/252,109 (up 9.5% in 2015-16)
-Total Hours Served: 7,046.25/6,836.50 (up 3.1% in 2015-16)
This game gives you a platform, it is up to you to use it! Thankful and honored to represent Arizona State #GiveBack https://t.co/jjp34c3J2C
— Michael Bercovici (@MikeBerco) December 10, 2015
With service and community outreach acting as leading tenants of the Sun Devil Way, Sun Devils Serve has allotted student-athletes and staff members alike the opportunity to shape and affect the lives of members of the community. The concept of serving and creating an affinity with the surrounding community has become a priority within Sun Devil Athletics.
Sun Devil competitive attitude never stops. Broke the @YumaFoodBank record - time to beat was 2:20; did it in 1:45! pic.twitter.com/AsulmeqdmU
— Sun Devil Athletics (@TheSunDevils) May 25, 2016
"It's really about getting the culture of service ingrained into our staff members", says Kennedy. "We are now in year four of making this a priority. With all of our student-athletes service is something our coaches instill as a part of the Sun Devil Way. If we have student-athletes who haven't had that opportunity before, giving them that opportunity, so they experience the feeling associated with serving others, is helpful. Once you get that warm feeling associated with helping others, you want to replicate it. And that's certainly what drives more projects, more community members served, hours, etc. I also think it gives them an appreciation for were they are in life and how fortunate they are. They are placed in these roles were they can use their good fortune to help others."
Student-athletes & @asu_oaii held a sport clinic & educational talk for kids in Havasupai Nation! #SunDevilsServe pic.twitter.com/DBN7eRVN0S
— Sun Devil Athletics (@TheSunDevils) June 17, 2016
In accordance with the Sun Devil Way, Sun Devil Athletics partook in a number of commendable service-based endeavors this past season.
Major ??: Always start athletic activity with some stretches. Incredible showing at our youth clinic today. pic.twitter.com/DPjceKR48z
— Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) January 30, 2016
In February, the Arizona State men's basketball team partnered with A New Leaf, a 45-year-old non-profit community-centric organization focused on aiding disadvantaged families. Men's basketball provided 12 underprivileged children who were part of the program with ticket vouchers to the Sun Devils Feb. 12 matchup with USC, granting the respective attendees their first college basketball experience.
Rise and shine! WBB is up and volunteering at Pat's Run! pic.twitter.com/KgyU0F9Zco
— Sun Devil WBB (@SunDevilWBB) April 23, 2016
Over the course of the spring semester the department partook in the second-annual Sun Devil Caravan. A mobile effort coordinated not only to allow Sun Devil Athletics to bring the Arizona State experience directly to fans, but to allow fans to directly engage and speak with student-athletes and coaches, the Caravan is composed of three parts, including a Sparky's Tour for kids, a Sun Devils Serve service project, and an evening Sun Devil VIP Meet and Greet. The Caravan made a total of six stops, including visits to Las Vegas (May 10), Witmann (May 11), Maricopa (May 17), Tolleson (May 19), Anaheim (May 24), and Yuma (May 25).
In December Sun Devil Athletics conducted its annual Phoenix United Fantasy flight in which Sparky and group of student-athletes provide a special Christmas experience for a number of underprivileged children. Over 100 visitors, 90% of which live in poverty, were provided a bag of gifts and breakfast courtesy of the Sun Devils present.
As the fall semester approaches, Sun Devil Athletics will look to continue to redefine what it means to be a Sun Devil, and looks forward to continued success on and off the field.
Team outing at @SVdP to help organize and serve dinner! #Phoenix #Community pic.twitter.com/budfWBZeLt
— Sun Devil WBB (@SunDevilWBB) March 10, 2016
.@NinjaNat97 talks to kids about the importance of being positive at this morning's Sparky's Tour stop in Las Vegas! pic.twitter.com/JP6fJVaO0f
— Sun Devil Soccer (@ASUSoccer) May 10, 2016