Laken Leonard earns C-USA Spirit of Service Award

Senior one of 16 winter representatives
@MTAthletics

IRVING, Texas - Middle Tennessee women's basketball senior Laken Leonard was one of 16 athletes in the league to earn Winter C-USA Spirit of Service award on Wednesday.

Leonard is a four-year letterwinner for the Middle Tennessee women's basketball team that clinched four regular season titles and two conference tournament titles during her career. She helped the Blue Raiders to a 29-5 record this season, starting 16 of the 34 games in which she played as the school made its sixth-straight NCAA appearance.

In the classroom, Leonard has been a member of the Commissioner's Honor Roll for three years. She will graduate this spring and plan to attend pharmacy school next fall. The Whitleyville, Tenn., native is a four-year member of the Fellowship of Christian Students and served two terms as president. Leonard is also a three-year member of SAAC, with two years as president.

She has been involved in spearheading the SAAC Coat Drive and Food Drive, helping with the Diaper Drive for Greenhouse Ministries, reading to young school children in the Read Across America program, serving as a volunteer at the Area 16 Special Olympics and helping serve food to the Journey Home homeless shelter.

Leonard also volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House, the Breast Cancer Carnival and the Cane Ridge Fitness Walk for the United Way.

The C-USA Spirit of Service Award is designed to recognize the community service efforts of the league's student-athletes, based upon significant community service, good academic standing and participation in their elected sport. The Spirit of Service Award is presented three times throughout the season, with today's honorees representing Conference USA's winter sports: men's and women's basketball, women's swimming and diving, men's and women's indoor track and field.