BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The recipients of the 2023-24 Ohio Valley Conference Community Service Awards have been announced. University of Southern Indiana was represented by women’s basketball senior Addy Blackwell (Bloomington, Indiana) and baseball senior Ricardo Van Grieken (Merida, Venezuela).
The awards, first bestowed in 2022-23, are based on activities that took place during the 2023-24 academic year and recognize outstanding student-athletes for the contributions they make away from the playing surface, both on campus and in the community.
OVC member institutions who competed in the League during the 2023-24 academic year were able to select a maximum of one male and one female student-athlete from their institution to be honored. In total 20 individuals were bestowed the awards this year.
“The OVC has always been about a sense of community,” said OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche. “We are delighted to continue to bestow these awards to these outstanding student-athletes who are giving back to their communities.”
Blackwell during her years at USI has been involved with numerous community service activities in the tri-state area, including Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure the last five years and the Challenger League for four years.
Van Grieken was a part of the Global Leader Retreat and Education USA events the last two years, making presentations about USI in Venezuela.
The 2023-24 recipients are:
- Addy Blackwell (women’s basketball), Southern Indiana
- Ricardo Van Grieken (baseball), Southern Indiana
- Joel Allen (track and field), Little Rock
- Abbie Smith (soccer), Little Rock
- Brooklyn Bender (cross country), Southeast Missouri
- Dony’e Taylor (football), Southeast Missouri
- Justin Biggs (track and field), Tennessee State
- Alondrah Santana-Rodriguez (volleyball), Tennessee State
- Daniel Egbuniwe (basketball), Tennessee Tech
- Reagan Smiley (soccer), Tennessee Tech
- Elizabeth Galvin (soccer), Eastern Illinois
- Chad Smith (soccer), Eastern Illinois
- M.E. Hargan, Morehead State
- Bryce Ward, Morehead State
- Nadia Kessling (track and field), Western Illinois
- Nathan Tillman (golf), Western Illinois
- Lily Sutter (soccer), Lindenwood
- River Lakey (football), Lindenwood
- Sofie Lowis (basketball), SIUE
- Natalie Marques (equestrian), UT Martin
