May 8, 2015
PADUCAH, Ky. — Kentucky senior catcher Griffin Joiner has been named to the Southeastern Conference Community Service Team, while her and sophomore outfielder Breanne Ray have been named CoSIDA Academic All-District for their success in the classroom, it was announced recently.
Joiner was one of 12 SEC players named to the SEC Community Service Team, which sponsors teams for all 21 league sports. The community service team looks to highlight a student-athlete from each school who gives back to their community in superior service efforts.
Joiner has been very active in the Lexington community since arriving on campus, recording numerous community service hours. Most recently, she helped mentor students at Dixie Elementary School, spending time during the fall semester reading and helping students with work. The last two years, she has spent several hours before UK football games walking around tailgates collecting money for the United Way and helped organize teammates to help as well. She regularly volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House on campus, rings the bell for Salvation Army and has been active in UK Athletics Backpack Program, which supplies food for children during the weekend from less fortunate homes.
Each of the last two holiday seasons, Griffin has helped collect blankets for the UK Children’s Hospital and delivered those blankets. Other community service projects include helping at Miracle League, packing meals at Southland Christian Church for “Hope for Haiti” service project and volunteering at Big Blue U, introducing incoming freshman to campus life at UK.
Joiner is a top-10 finalist for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. Fans can vote for Joiner online at http://bit.ly/VoteJoiner once a day until May 11.
Joiner and Ray have been named to the 2014-15 Capital One Academic All-District® First Team, which recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. First-team Academic All-District® honorees advance to the Capital One Academic All-America® Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected later this month and in early June.
Joiner, a native of Hopkinsville, Ky., was the lone catcher named to the district two team, holding a cumulative 3.86 GPA in kinesiology and exercise science. Ray, a sophomore from Benton, Ky., was one of four outfielders to be named to the team, holding a 3.97 GPA in communication science and disorders.
For more information on the Kentucky softball team, follow @UKSoftball on Twitter and Instagram of Kentucky Softball on Facebook.
