Bortnick, Peoples named recipients of Brad Davis SEC Community Service Award
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Recipients of the 2021-22 Brad Davis SEC Community Service Award for The University of Arkansas are Josh Bortnick with tennis and Paris Peoples with track and field.
The school award winners are nominees for the Male and Female Brad Davis Community Service Leaders of the Year, which will be announced by the SEC. The school winners will each receive a $5,000 post-graduate scholarship provided by the SEC, and the Leaders of the Year will each receive a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship.
The SEC Community Service Post-Graduate Scholarship is named for former Associate Commissioner Brad Davis, who succumbed to cancer on March 2, 2006. He had been a member of the SEC staff since 1988, first serving as an assistant commissioner until 1994 when he was promoted to associate commissioner.
Community service engagement for Peoples has included the Special Olympics Razorback Games and a Salute to Veterans in 2022. Previously, Peoples has been involved with the Shop with Razorbacks program, MLK Hog Calls, STEM Presentation, Gratitude Week lunch at Jones, Trunk or Treat, and The New School event.
Peoples has also volunteered with the Potters House, Fearless Food Fight at Bud Walton Arena, National Girls & Women in Sports Day, as well as collecting and donating items to Peace at Home Family Shelter.
Bortnick has been named to the SEC Community Service team in tennis four consecutive years. His community service projects have included the Shop with Razorbacks program, volunteering with the K-Cut tennis camp, the Luke Charity tennis event in Fort Smith, and with a Kansas City animal shelter.
Bortnick also assisted with a tennis clinic for Team Luke Hope for Minds and the NWA Children’s Hospital picnic.
During the 2021-22 track and field season, Peoples earned her third first-team All-America as a member of the NCAA champion distance medley relay. She supplied a split of 52.65 on the 400m leg as the Razorbacks broke the Arkansas school record and facility record in Birmingham with a 10:51.37 victory.
Previously, Peoples has been a member on a silver medal 4 x 400 relay (2019 NCAA Indoor) and a bronze medal 4 x 400 relay (2021 NCAA Indoor).
In tennis action this season, Bortnick claimed a doubles victory with partner Aleksa Bucan against Oral Roberts. In singles play, Bortnick pushed a pair of matches to third set tiebreakers in playing against Illinois State and Saint Louis.
