Sand Shark Soccer Players Earn Sun Conference Accolades
Three Sand Sharks from the women's soccer team were honored in November at The Sun Conference postseason banquet, hosted by Southeastern University.
The Sun Conference is committed to the NAIA's Champions of Character program, which aims to change the culture of sport. The mission of the program is to provide training to instill the five core values of integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership into the everyday lives of students, coaches and parents. Melissa Fichtner was awarded The Sun Conference Champion of Character Award for her service to her community throughout her time at USCB. Fichtner spent time this summer working with IVHQ's Special Needs Care project where she had the opportunity to work alongside local staff to providing physical, medical and therapeutic assistance to abandoned adolescents and adults with special needs. The Mèrida project is a centralized facility in the Yucatán Peninsula where families can also bring their children for specialized care. Fichtner has also been involved with Special Olympics, Boys and Girls Club, and Habitat for Humanity.
Fellow teammates, senior Brittney Neser and sophomore Allison Schaffer, also were honored at the event, making the TSC All-Academic Team.
Neser, a Computational Science major, has been involved in multiple on-campus groups and organizations, including National Society of Leadership and Success, Sand Sharks Activities Board, and ACM. Throughout her college career, she has held the highest GPA on the soccer team, been selected Outstanding Student Leader in 2017-18, and earned Dean's List honors.
Schaffer, a biology major, was a finalist for the TSC Freshman of the Year Award last season; she continued her outstanding on-field performance this season. She has been an active volunteer with the Boys & Girls Club of Bluffton and St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church youth group. She is also looking forward to taking part in a service trip to Alaska this summer.
