Both athletes will receive a $5,000 post-graduate scholarship provided by the SEC
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Southeastern Conference has announced the male and female Brad Davis Community Service Award Winners for each of its 14-member institutions on Thursday.
Skip Donald (Swimming & Diving) and Avery Goelz (Softball) were selected as Florida’s recipients.
During his two years at the University of Florida, Skip contributed to various causes in the community. He spent a lot of his time at local elementary schools either reading to students or being a lunch buddy. The 2024 Sec Swimming & Diving Community Service Team member also visited with patients at Shands Hospital in Gainesville.
Donald was a member of Florida’s 2023 and 2024 SEC Swimming & Diving Championship teams. He earned SEC Men’s Diver of the Week twice in his career and was named to the 2024 SEC Academic Honor Roll. The Woodlands, Tex. native is set to graduate this spring with an earning an undergraduate degree in Education Sciences.
During her time as a Gator, Avery totaled over 62 hours volunteering for numerous organizations in the Gainesville area. She visited with patients at Shands Hospital in Gainesville, volunteering at softball’s Canned Food Drives and reading to elementary school students.
The Myakka City, Fla. native has played in 222 career games with 175 starts and holds a career .254 batting average with 111 hits, 79 runs scored, 19 doubles, four triples and 62 career RBI. Defensively, Goelz has 973 career putouts with 22 assists, while committing only eight errors over that span. Additionally, the first baseman/outfielder is a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll honoree and recently graduated Cum Laude with her bachelor’s in the fall of 2023.
The school winners will each receive a $5,000 post-graduate scholarship provided by the SEC.
The SEC Community Service Post-Graduate Scholarship is named for former Associate Commissioner Brad Davis. Davis succumbed to cancer on March 2, 2006. He had been a member of the SEC staff since 1988, first serving as an assistant commissioner until 1994 when he was promoted to associate commissioner.
2023-24 Female Brad Davis SEC Community Service Award Winners:
Sydney Orefice, Tennis, Alabama
Ellie Podojil, Soccer, Arkansas
Carsen McFadden, Basketball, Auburn
Avery Goelz, Softball, Florida
Caitlin Lyons, Equestrian, Georgia
Jaden Thompson, Rifle, Kentucky
Alison Newland, Softball, LSU
Aynslie Furbush, Softball, Ole Miss
Julia Lasley, Track & Field, Mississippi State
Kyra Burns, Gymnastics, Missouri
Emilia Reutimann, Equestrian, South Carolina
Morgahn Fingall, Volleyball, Tennessee
Abigail Ahrens, Swimming & Diving, Texas A&M
Haley Bishop, Track & Field, Vanderbilt
2023-24 Male Brad Davis SEC Community Service Award Winners:
Trey Sheils, Swimmming & Diving, Alabama
Jacob McLeod, Track & Field, Arkansas
Elijah McAllister, Football, Auburn
Christopher (Skip) Donald, Swimming & Diving, Florida
Bradley Dunham, Swimming & Diving, Georgia
Zane Rosely, Swimming & Diving, Kentucky
Stefan Latinovic, Tennis, LSU
Nikola Slavic, Tennis, Ole Miss
Carles Hernández, Tennis, Mississippi State
Darius Robinson, Football, Missouri
Daniel West, Swimming & Diving, South Carolina
Michael Houlie, Swimming & Diving, Tennessee
Kenner Taylor, Tennis, Texas A&M
Ezra Manjon, Basketball, Vanderbilt
The male and female Community Service Leaders of the Year, to be announced later in May, will each receive a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship, provided by the SEC.
This is the 29th year that the SEC Brad Davis Leaders of the Year award has existed. A Florida student-athlete has claimed the overall award five times.
Florida Recipients of SEC Leaders of the Year
2001
Gabby Fuchs
Gymnastics
2007
Stacey Stevens
Softball
2014
Patric Young
Basketball
2018
Grace McLaughlin
Gymnastics
2019
Sam Ahrenholz
Track & Field
