After strong performances in both competition and in the classroom during the 2019-20 academic year, Clayton State Athletics adds another achievement to the list, only this time it comes in the form of giving back.

Laker student-athletes finished the season ranked #5 in the country among NCAA DII institutions for number of community engagement hours logged according to Helper Helper. Helper Helper, an official partner of the NCAA, is a community engagement platform that coordinates and tracks community service hours.

This incredible feat was led by the women's basketball team who finished the season ranked #2 among DII women's basketball programs for hours logged. As a team, they logged over 550 hours, surpassing previous year records.

"Giving back to those in the community is important to us," said Coach Kaleena Coleman, the head women's basketball coach at Clayton State. "We don't do it for the recognition, but we are honored to be one of the top women's basketball programs in Division II to be recognized for our service. I would like to thank Coach Hall who organizes all of our service activities and the team for putting in the time and hard work."

Although the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in all, Clayton State student-athletes logged a total of 2,000 hours.  Each team recorded multiple service projects covering a wide variety of activities, organizations, and charities.

"Giving back and engaging our community is something our teams love doing, it's become part of who we are as a program," said Director of Athletics, Ryan Erlacher. "We are beyond proud of all the great work our student-athletes and staff have put in over the past year to better our community. They are a true testament of leading by example and a tremendous reflection of our University."

During the 2019-20 academic year, Clayton State Athletics partnered with iTHINK Financial to focus greater efforts on community engagement activities. Each month, the Lakers select one event to highlight on their iTHINK Financial community engagement webpage. The webpage has become a fan favorite for highlighting all the great service projects the Lakers are involved with.

For more information on Clayton State community engagement, please visit: https://claytonstatesports.com/sports/commserv

Clayton State community engagement efforts will pick back up starting in August of 2020.