December 12, 2014

Jenna Longo, Women's Basketball

Jenna Longo was recognized by the SCAC as the fall Character and Community for Austin College.

Jenna Longo has been named Austin College's fall female SCAC Character and Community award winner. Longo has been an active member of the Austin College community since arriving in Sherman four years ago, both as an important member of the women's basketball team as well as numerous organizations and leadership roles across campus. Longo, a senior small forward from Scottsdale, Arizona, has appeared in every game of her four year career and this season is serving as a team captain. Longo has also served as the vice president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee at Austin College for the past two years.

Through her role with the SAAC, Longo has become actively involved with Special Olympics. Over the years, she has helped organize volunteer services with her fellow student-athletes at numerous Special Olympics events throughout the North Texas area, including the regional Special Olympics track and field meets in the Dallas area each year. As a participant at the Special Olympics track and field events, Longo has helped conduct and time the events, as well as working with the Special Olympians and providing encouragement and instruction.

At the beginning of this year, Longo also helped organize a Special Olympics basketball event on the campus of Austin College. Special Olympians from all over Grayson County came to Hughey Gym, where Longo and members of the women's basketball team as well as representatives from other Kangaroo athletics programs worked as timers and provided tips and coaching to the Special Olympians in the areas of shooting, passing, and dribbling. For this tremendous service event, Longo helped the college gain national recognition, as Austin College was rewarded as the NCAA Division III Special Olympics Spotlight Award winner for the month of February.

In addition to her work with Special Olympics, Longo has also helped organize and conduct a free basketball clinic benefiting Toys for Tots each year since she's been at Austin College. Longo, along with the basketball team and coach Michelle Filander, have continued to work with area children on the skills of the game while collecting Christmas gifts for the local Toys for Tots chapter. Longo is also active as a leader on campus, serving as a Communications Leader for the freshmen, as well as working as a tour guide at Austin College. She also serves as a college ambassador, interacting with freshmen and prospective students as a representative of the college.

Along with her work with both the women's basketball team and the college in general, Longo has also volunteered her time with a local after school program. In this capacity, she has worked to take care of area children and served in a role as a mentor. Longo has also excelled in the classroom, having been a member of the SCAC Academic Honor Roll each year of her career.

The Character & Community award, established prior to the 2009-10 academic year, is an effort by the SCAC to honor the efforts of student-athletes who excel in the field of athletics, and also serve their campus and community.