Orta & Oswald Named to SEC T&F Community Service Team

May 7, 2013

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Kentucky track and field team’s Luis Orta and Chelsea Oswald have been named to the Southeastern Conference Community Service Team, the league office announced on Tuesday.

Orta and Oswald were selected for men’s and women’s track and field and cross country.

Orta, A graduate student in sports leadership, was one of the founders of the UK Track and Field Shoe Drive and has been active in that program in each of the last three years.

He was a commencement speaker at UK’s December 2012 graduation.

Orta has been active volunteering his time with the SEC Together We Can Food Drive, the Hispanic Health Fair and the God’s Pantry Backpack program. He has also has spoken at local schools about his experiences as an ESL student.

Orta was the 2012 SEC Indoor Track and Field Men’s Runner of the Year as he won both the 3,000 and 5,000 meters at the conference championships, which were in Lexington that season.

Oswald, the 2013 SEC H. Boyd McWhorter Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year recipient, has been active in the community, volunteering with Operation Homes and the God’s Pantry Back Pack initiative.

She has also helped with the UK Athletics Back-to-School Picnic, the Hope Lodge Christmas Ceremony, the Lexington Montessori Read-to-the-Children Program and the NEO Cross Country Camp for high school students.

Oswald played an active role assisting with the SEC Together We Can Food Drive and the Salvation Army.

Oswald has also put in plenty of time in the classroom. She is an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient and also the recipient of the NCAA Elite 89 Award, which goes to the competitor with the highest GPA at each of the NCAA Championships. She won the award for the indoor season.

She is a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and a USTFCCCA All-Academic selection.

Oswald was a 2012 cross country All-American and 2013 indoor track and field All-American in the distance medley relay and at 3,000 meters.

The league presents a Community Service Team for each of its 21 league-sponsored sports, looking to highlight a male and female athlete from each school who gives back to his or her community through superior service efforts.

The UK track and field teams travel to the SEC Outdoor Championships on Tuesday.

The SEC Championships will be held at the Audrey J. Walton Track Stadium at the University of Missouri in Columbia from May 9-12.

2013 SEC Men’s Track and Field Community Service Team

• Jonathan Reid, Alabama
• Nathanael Franks, Arkansas
• Max Lang, Florida
• Burke McCarty, Georgia
• 
  Luis Orta, Kentucky
• Joseph Caraway, LSU
• Isiah Young, Ole Miss
• Mitch Hatton, Missouri
• Damiere Byrd, South Carolina
• Chase Brannon, Tennessee
• CJ Brown, Texas A&M

2013 SEC Women’s Track and Field Community Service Team

• Claire Turner, Alabama
• Makeba Alcide, Arkansas
• Maya Pressley, Auburn
• Lanie Whittaker, Florida
• Saniel Atkinson-Grier, Georgia
• Chelsea Oswald, Kentucky
• Laura Carleton, LSU
• Neal Tisher, Ole Miss
• Chloe Phillips, Mississippi State
• Courtney Wood, Missouri
• Breanna Radford, South Carolina
• Kia Jackson, Tennessee
• Aliese Hyde, Texas A&M
• Alyson Hasty, Vanderbilt