HARTFORD, Conn. – Representatives from the Southern Connecticut State University athletic department were recognized in Hartford on Tuesday evening at the 2011 Connecticut Higher Education Community Service Awards event. Paige Donlin (South Glastonbury, Conn.), a sophomore on the field hockey team, was honored for her outreach efforts in the Individual Student category, while head coach Meghan Brown and junior captain Alex Fiola (Fall River, Mass.) represented the women's basketball team, which was honored in the Student Group category.

Donlin took time out to volunteer for an array of outreach efforts to earn recognition. She participated in weekly reading and tutoring programs at the Roberto Clemente and Clinton Avenue Schools in New Haven. She has also assisted with on-campus events such as Girls and Women in Sport Day and Southern Day of Service, as well as a bone marrow drive in support of the National Bone Marrow Registry's 'Be The Match' initiative. Donlin and her teammates also baked pies during the Thanksgiving holiday season for individuals at the Springfield (Mass.) Rescue Mission.

The women's basketball program, winners of the 2010-11 Tim Greer Insurance Agency, Inc. Community Service Cup, assisted numerous programs, both on-campus and in Greater New Haven, during the 2010-11 academic year. The team helped with on-campus events such as Friends of Rudolph, The Big Event, Girls and Women in Sport Day and the National Bone Marrow Registry's 'Be The Match' initiative.

In addition, the team was also extremely active in academic tutoring and assistance programs with three New Haven schools – the Roberto Clemente, Beecher and Clinton Avenue schools. They also conducted clinics at the Clemente School and assisted at the Wallingford Boys' and Girls' Club's 'Sports Night' event. The team also completed service assistance for the American Cancer Society and took part in a food drive to benefit local families.