DALLAS - Conference USA announced its Fall Spirit of Service Award winners Monday. The award honors  student-athletes with significant community service endeavors, good academic standing and participation in their sport. The Spirit of Service award is presented three times throughout the season, with Monday's honorees representing football, women’s soccer and volleyball.
 
2021 Fall Spirit of Service Award Recipients
Chaz Neal, Florida Atlantic Football, RS Jr.
Ainsley Yanz, Louisiana Tech Volleyball, So.
Brian Cavicante, Marshall Football, RS Sr.
Reed Blankenship, Middle Tennessee Football, Sr.
Rhett Robinson, North Texas Volleyball, Sr.
Ryan Parncutt, Old Dominion Women’s Soccer, So.
Nicole Lennon, Rice Volleyball, Fifth Year
Lindsey Legg, Southern Miss Volleyball, RS Jr.
Morgan Halliwill, UAB Women’s Soccer, Jr.
Mia Ybarra, UTSA Volleyball, Sr.
Hallie Shelton, WKU Volleyball, Sr.
 
Florida Atlantic redshirt junior Chaz Neal, a Public Safety major, was very active in the community during his first semester at FAU. He has participated in a variety of service projects such as Veterans Nursing Homes, Charles Drew Elementary School, State Veterans Nursing Home, Project Thanksgiving Canned Food Drive and Breaking the Chains Foundation. Neal, one of the football program’s SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) representatives, earned the starting job at right tackle for the Owls in his first season in Boca Raton, appearing in 11 games.
 
Louisiana Tech sophomore Ainsley Yanz is a very active community service volunteer and serves as the volleyball community service coordinator. Additionally she is a member of SAAC at LA Tech. Yanz spends her time volunteering at DART, 4PAWS, a local animal shelter, by helping cleaning up dog parks, adoption drives and so much more. She has worked various events around the Louisiana Tech campus as she is enrolled in the Psychology Honors Program. Outside of the Ruston community, Yanz has volunteered at the Dilworth Soup Kitchen over Thanksgiving break. Yanz, who holds a 3.89 cumulative GPA, saw action in 27 matches in 2021.
 
Marshall redshirt senior Brian Cavicante worked with teammates to assist with Facing Hunger Foodbank in Huntington this season, in addition to the program’s other service-related endeavors. A recipient of the C-USA Academic Medal and member of the Commissioner’s Honor Roll during his career, Cavicante totaled 31 tackles in 2021 for the Thundering Herd in 11 appearances.
 
Middle Tennessee senior Reed Blankenship made an impact in the community working with Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, Reading Raiders, Camp Ability for underprivileged children and made visits to the VA Hospital. A three-time member of the C-USA Honor Roll and was a C-USA All-Academic selection in 2021. On the field, Blankenship was a First-Team All-Conference USA honoree who recorded 106 total tackles for the Blue Raiders with an interception, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
 
North Texas senior Rhett Robinson is an Executive Board member of UNT SAAC and was instrumental in several SAAC initiatives, including the SAAC Fall Food Drive, which raised over $1,500 and 660 pounds of food to benefit the UNT Food Pantry, serving all UNT students in need. Robinson has been a C-USA Honor Roll selection on multiple occasions during her career, a C-USA Academic Medal Recipient and has been on the Chancellor’s List on three occasions. Robinson was a First-Team All-Conference USA selection, AVCA All-Southwest Region selection, and is now third in program history on the all-time kills list.
 
Old Dominion sophomore Ryan Parncutt serves on ODU’s executive committee for SAAC and is the lead for the Community Engagement Committee for athletics. She has taken the lead for projects like Soccer Sisters (a volunteer service and mentor program with her team and young girls in the Norfolk Community). She has helped spearhead a program where student athletes serve several days a week to work with Mercy Chefs and the local downtown homeless shelter. Parncutt volunteered and supported a Toy Drive, Pen Pal program with local youth, helping gain donations to dental care kits for families with no dental insurance and a project working with intellectually disabled adults at Norfolk Therapeutic Recreation Center to name just a few. Parncutt appeared in 17 games for the Conference USA champion Monarchs, earning nine starts in midfield.
 
Rice outside hitter Nicole Lennon, in her fifth year, is an active participant in the community at Rice. On campus, she serves as a Peer Wellbeing Athletic Advisor, a peer-based mental health resources program for Rice athletes. Lennon has tutored kindergarteners through eighth graders weekly at the FORGE for Families, a Christian non-profit after-school program located in the one of the most underserved areas of Houston. She has also volunteered several times a year at the Houston Food Bank in both the Warehouse and Kitchen and with the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, educating and informing citizens and legislators about bills proposed at Texas legislative sessions. Lennon has spent 1000+ volunteer hours conducting research over the last three years both on Rice University campus and on the University of Houston campus. Her research focus is on the effects of discrimination on marginalized groups, such as minority racial/ethnic groups, women, those with minority religious identities, those with disabilities, and those who are LGBTQ+, and remedies for both the mental health of those discriminated against and for the systemic barriers that they face. A double major in Psychology and Economics, Lennon concluded her career at Rice as the all-time leader in kills (2,144) and fourth in career digs (1,550).
 
Southern Miss redshirt junior Lindsey Legg is an active member in the Hattiesburg community, participating in a Rally for IDA fundraiser, Operation Christmas Child, and Extra Table Community Service. A President’s List member since 2019, Legg has been on the athletic department’s Honor Roll every semester since 2019. She graduated with a 4.00 GPA in Exercise Science and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Kinesiology in Exercise Science. Legg appeared in all 28 matches for Southern Miss this season, making six starts.
 
UAB junior Morgan Halliwill, a Biomedical Engineering major with minors in Mathematics and Psychology, has a 3.94 cumulative GPA. Halliwill invested her time back into the Birmingham community through organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, United Way of Central Alabama, Inc., Smile-A-Mile, Bundles of Hope, and Glen Iris Elementary, among others. Halliwill has been a C-USA Academic Medal recipient, on the Commissioner’s Honor Roll and is a mainstay on UAB’s Dean’s and President’s Lists during her academic career. On the field, Halliwill scored three goals and added one assist for the Blazers in 15 starts in 2021.
 
UTSA senior Mia Ybarra, a Communications major and volleyball’s SAAC representative since 2018, is extremely active in the San Antonio community. A CASA volunteer, Ybarra assisted with the UTSA Day of Service, is an active participant in Rowdy Readers, volunteered at Methodist Children’s Hospital, is a member of the Athletics Inclusive Excellence Board, among other volunteer initiatives. A two-time member of the Dean’s List, Ybarra has also been named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll on three occasions throughout her career. On the court, Ybarra led the team in digs in 2021 (359).
 
WKU senior Hallie Shelton is incredibly involved in the community outside of her academics and volleyball endeavors. Her extensive list of community service outings including Habitat for Humanity, Stuff the Bus (a local school supply fundraiser), Hope for Harlie (through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation), Salvation Army Angel Tree, and volunteer reader for Read Across America Day at local elementary schools. Additionally, Shelton is heavily involved in WKU’s SAAC for the past two years and with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Serve Team for the last three years. Shelton owns a 3.41 GPA, while majoring in Elementary Education and is also earning an organizational leadership certificate. She is a four-time honoree on the Commissioner’s Honor Roll and is a three-time member of the President’s List at WKU. Shelton is the program record-holder in both appearances (151) and sets played (518), and ranks second in career aces (185).