On Monday night at the annual Student Athlete Academic Achievement Celebration held on campus, the John Carroll football and women's soccer teams were named the 2018-19 Varsity Team Service Award recipients for their efforts in the community.

Serving on and off the field is one of the key aspects of a Jesuit education and identity, whereupon John Carroll University exhibits the foundational practices in and out of the classroom to build upon the person as a whole. John Carroll University's athletic programs not only perform these practices on the field but they also exceed the practice of these exercises by carrying through the Jesuit image by serving in the community.

The two programs combined for a total of 1,745 hours of service in Northeast Ohio and beyond, covering over 50 unique programs, associations, and foundations.

The Varsity Team Service Award was presented by the University's Center for Service and Social Action.

Established in 2015 as a means of "Recognizing significant commitment to serving others, cultivating relationships and engaging in reflection as a team," both Football and Women's Soccer teams won the award in 2016, and last year's winners were Softball and Women's Soccer yet again.

The John Carroll University football team credit themselves as the, "Men of Carroll," and for the second time since 2015 they are being honored as so. The Blue Streaks football team — led by head coach Rick Finotti  — makes service a "staple of what we represent as a program," according to the team's motto.

The Football Blue Streaks recorded over 618 hours of service by participating and assisting in the Jesuit Day of Service, Tim Tebow's Night to Shine event, Dance the Night Away, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies, and the Cleveland Browns Youth Football Play-60 program.

"Service is a key component to being a Man of Carroll, and more importantly a member of this football program," said junior quarterback and leader of service for the football program Joe Ens. "Leading our team's efforts in serving the community has allowed me to truly understand how much this program cares about helping this community."

Blue Streaks starting safety Tyshawn Jones, who served over 30 hours in one semester says, "Doing service allows me to participate in something larger than myself."

The JCU women's soccer team —  led by head coach Michael Marich —  logged the most hours of any team, topping 1,100.

"Members of the JCU women's soccer team act as women for and with others in all the service they do,"  Junior Jaclyn Audino said when speaking for the team. "We pride ourselves in building meaningful with the people we serve."

The Blue Streak women recorded over 1,125 hours of combined service hours at over 50 different locations. Among the places that the Blue Streaks aided their community was by tutoring at Cleveland Heights Middle School, volunteering at various different parishes, and participating in the Jesuit Day of Service.

"We have a love for giving back," says senior Jessie Schaffer, who participated in the Night to Shine dance.  Audino says that Schaffer, "speaks for the team" when reflecting on the team's love for serving the community.

Sophomore Claudia Lenhart who served at University Hospital says, "Working with these families have showed me that small gestures can go a long way."

In addition to their service away from Carroll, both the Football and Women's Soccer team added a "team buddy" though the Max for the Cure Foundation. The buddies — who sign a contract to be an honorary member of the team — are cancer survivors.

Both the Blue and Gold Football and Women's Soccer teams represent the University as a whole in a positive light with their outstanding contributions to the community.

Not only do both teams find success on the field but their success off the field has allowed for a more meaningful approach to the Jesuit education.

"We look for ways to use a positive energy to brighten someone's day," says Ens. "We look for ways to use the talents God has given us to give back to those less fortunate than us.Above all else, we are always looking for ways that our football program can serve others."

It was an idea echoed by Audino as well.

"Service is not just about the hours of service committed but also the quality of service done," Audino said. "It not only strengthens are Jesuit identity but our team and a program as a whole."