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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Southeastern Conference announced the Community Service Team for men and women’s track and field and cross country. The conference included junior thrower Alejandro Collins and senior distance runner Samantha Drop as the Bulldog representatives.
The SEC names a Community Service Team for each of its 21 league-sponsored sports, looking to highlight a student-athlete from each school who gives back to his or her community through superior service efforts.
Collins, a native of Peachtree City, Ga., throws the javelin for the Bulldogs and Drop, a native Durham, Conn., runs distance for the Georgia women. Collins competed at this year’s SEC Championships and had a career-long throw of 198 feet for runner-up honors at the 2021 Torrin Lawrence Memorial. Drop, whose twin sister Jessica also runs for Georgia, was a 2017 NCAA cross country All-American, the 2020 SEC Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was a seven-time scorer across indoor and outdoor track and field and cross country since 2016.
Alejandro Collins, Georgia
Set up an overnight tent for unhoused residents through Mutual Aid Athens to keep them warm on cold nights, also providing food, drinks and warm clothing for the homeless … Volunteered in a variety of roles with the Special Olympics of Northeast Georgia … Donated time at the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia … Created educational material and videos for school groups to learn about indicator species at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia … Assisted the curator in garden maintenance to improve the aesthetics and health of the UGA Latin American Ethnobotanical Garden.
Samantha Drop, Georgia
SOUL (Serving Others with Unconditional Love): As a member, participated a in variety of events serving the homeless community, assisted living facilities, children’s afterschool programs and people with disabilities … Special Olympics: As Social Groups Chair, coordinates monthly events for our older members who have aged out of the school system … Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC): As the community service leader of the group, helped organize community service events for the student athletes and outreach to the community. With her connection with Special Olympics, she specifically helped with organizing events and projects to get the student athletes involved with this organization. She participated in events such as Girl Empowerment Day, Spooky Dawgs and drives to collect items for a local homeless shelter … Volunteer at the Athens-Clarke County Animal Control where she took out the dogs to work on socialization and training and assisted with kennel and animal cleaning … Leadership Education and Development (LEAD): This is a group of student athlete leaders who work with successful individuals teaching what it takes to be a leader and preparing for graduate school and beyond. She was partnered with a younger LEAD member with similar career aspirations to help guide them through preparing for life after sports.