DALLAS – Conference USA announced 11 student-athletes as the Spring Spirit of Service Award winners on Tuesday. 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 Tuesday’s honorees representing beach volleyball, outdoor track and field, softball, women’s golf and women’s tennis. Recipients are nominated by their institutions.
 
2026 Spring Spirit of Service Award Recipients
Katie Scheivert, Delaware, Softball
Kendall Catherwood, FIU, Softball
Karson Bonaparte, Jax State, Baseball
Madison Seiler, Kennesaw State, Women's Track & Field
Haley McManus, Liberty, Softball
Cullen Hronek, LA Tech, Men's Track & Field
Tyler Minnick, MTSU, Baseball
Amanda Cleary, Missouri State, Beach Volleyball
Bella Perez, Sam Houston, Softball
Kennedy Llewellyn, UTEP, Beach Volleyball
Averi Cline, WKU, Women's Golf
 
Delaware’s Katie Scheivert recently concluded her Strategic Leadership Certification with a 3.92 GPA and earned the school’s 2026 Mary Ann Hitchens Award, recognizing hard work, leadership and dedication. Scheivert was a three-time CSC Academic All-District selection, a four-time Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete and a member of Student Government. She helped organize Trick or Treat So Others Can Eat, collecting more than 1,000 pounds of food for the Food Bank of Delaware, while supporting charitable initiatives benefiting Kind to Kids and UDance. A team captain and 2026 Second-Team All-CUSA selection, she ranks among Delaware’s all-time leaders in hits, runs scored, stolen bases and games started.
 
Kendall Catherwood distinguished herself as a leader in the classroom, on the field, and in the community during her career at FIU. A marketing major with a 3.85 GPA, she earned Dean’s List recognition every semester and was a recipient of the CUSA Commissioner’s Academic Medal and Honor Roll. As Vice President of the Student-Athlete Leadership Council, Catherwood led service initiatives including Operation Christmas Child and a campus food drive while volunteering with the Miracle League and local Little Leagues. On the field, she started 51 games, recorded 35 hits, 19 RBI and a perfect 8-8 mark in stolen bases during her senior season.
 
Karson Bonaparte excelled as a student-athlete and campus leader during his graduate season at Jacksonville State. A Business Administration/Organizational Leadership major with a perfect 4.0 GPA, he graduated magna cum laude and earned CSC Academic All-District and Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll recognition. As Vice President of SAAC, Bonaparte spearheaded community engagement initiatives, including the Teddy Bear Toss, Cocky Cup service program, United Way volunteer efforts and the Beans and Rice Ministry. On the mound, he recorded four wins and 30 strikeouts in 49.2 innings, highlighted by a seven-strikeout performance against Liberty and his first Division I victory against Akron.
 
Madison Seiler distinguished herself as a student-athlete at Kennesaw State, majoring in Exercise Science with a 3.01 GPA. She earned Dean’s List honors in Spring 2024 and Spring 2025 and was recognized as a KSU Top Flight Owl for maintaining a GPA above 3.0. In the community, she volunteered three hours supporting a Kennesaw Mountain cleanup. On the track, Seiler set the school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, qualified for the NCAA East First Round and placed third in the steeplechase at the 2026 Conference USA Outdoor Championship, highlighting her competitive success at the conference and national levels.
 
Haley McManus is a junior softball student-athlete at Liberty majoring in Social Studies Education (6–12) with a 3.34 cumulative GPA. She has earned recognition on the Dean’s List and the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll. McManus serves as the SAAC representative for the softball program and has been actively involved in a wide range of community initiatives, including Dollar Makes a Difference, Trick or Treat So Others Can Eat, Chocolate Bingo at Runk & Pratt, Hop on Pop, Play with an Athlete Day, Money Monday and outreach with Career Services.
 
Louisiana Tech junior men’s track & field athlete Cullen Hronek is majoring in Economics with a Finance minor and a 3.29 GPA. He serves as SAAC Co-President and has been active in community service, including tutoring students, organizing canned food drives for the campus food pantry, assisting with mental health awareness tables at home events, supporting game-day operations, participating in community cleanup projects, and volunteering with the Healthy Kids Running Series. Academically, he is a six-time AD Honor Roll selection, four-time Dean’s List honoree, and 2026 CUSA Commissioner’s Honor Roll recipient. On the track, Hronek is an NCAA regional qualifier in the 4x400 relay and a multi-time Conference USA medalist in relay and hurdles events.
 
Tyler Minnick, a senior baseball student-athlete at MTSU, boasts a perfect 4.0 GPA in Business Administration. He has demonstrated a strong commitment to service through Reading in Schools Day at John Pittard Elementary and involvement with Blue Raider Baseball’s support of Special Olympics Tennessee, including volunteering at a banquet and Miracle League games at Reese Smith Jr. Field. Academically, Minnick is a two-time CUSA All-Academic selection, two-time Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll member and two-time CUSA Academic Medal recipient. On the field, he earned 2026 Second Team All-CUSA honors, set a program-record 43-game on-base streak and posted 10 home runs with 48 RBI while leading the league in runners caught stealing.
 
Amanda Cleary is a beach volleyball student-athlete at Missouri State majoring in Nursing with a 3.88 GPA. She has been deeply involved in community service through Convoy of Hope, Springfield Dream Center, the Salvation Army, Missouri State’s Bear Pantry and the university peer leader program focused on supporting students. Academically, Cleary is a three-time Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal recipient, multiple-time Commissioner’s Honor Roll selection, and multiple-time MSU Athletic Director Honor Roll honoree, while also earning AVCA Top Flight Award recognition. In 2026, she earned All-CUSA Second Team honors after helping lead Missouri State to a 24-6 season. She and partner MacKenzie Steele finished 24-6 at Flight 2 and set the program record with 63 career wins as a pair.
 
Bella Perez is a junior softball student-athlete at Sam Houston majoring in Health Sciences with a 3.78 GPA and a Pre-Nursing minor. She serves as a SAAC member and Executive Council representative and has contributed to numerous community initiatives, including Extra Yard for Teachers, mental health awareness games, Ronald McDonald House donation drives, school supply drives, student mentorship programs, and athletic department outreach events. Academically, Perez is a multiple-time Dean’s List honoree, two-time Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll selection and 2025–26 CUSA Academic Medal recipient. In 2026, she earned All-CUSA honors after a strong season behind the plate, throwing out 42 percent of base runners while batting .335 with six home runs and 19 extra-base hits.
 
Kennedy Llewellyn is a junior beach volleyball student-athlete at UTEP majoring in Accounting with a 3.90 GPA. She has contributed 27.5 community service hours through a wide range of campus and community events, including Minerpalooza, SAAC mental health initiatives, Miner Morning Mania, alcohol and health awareness fairs, Lundy Elementary Turkey Trot, and volunteer support at soccer and track events, as well as ball shagging for indoor and beach volleyball. Academically, Llewellyn is a two-time Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll and Academic Medal recipient (2025, 2026). In 2026, she went 9–17 overall in dual play, including a 2–4 CUSA record, with six wins at Flight 2 and an undefeated mark on Courts 4 and 5, helping UTEP defeat Sam Houston in the CUSA Championship.
 
Averi Cline is a senior women’s golf student-athlete at Western Kentucky University majoring in Psychology. She has completed 177.5 community service hours through youth ministry, campus outreach, and nonprofit initiatives, including Crossland Kid Ministry, FCA programming, Special Olympics, Feed My Starving Children, and multiple campus and charitable events such as Topper Fest and breast cancer awareness drives. Academically, Cline is a two-time Conference USA All-Academic Second Team selection, three-time WGCA All-American Scholar and multiple-time CUSA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and Academic Medal recipient. On the course, she competed in 10 tournaments in 2026, helping WKU win the Conference USA Championship and reach an NCAA Regional while posting a 76.7 scoring average.