05 Jun 2024 Little Rock swimmer named Volunteer of the Year, department Volunteer Group

LITTLE ROCK—It wasn’t enough for Little Rock Athletics to excel in the classroom and on the competition field. The Trojans are also being recognized for their philanthropic efforts by the Little Rock Marathon Committee, which recently named the Little Rock Athletic Department its Volunteer Group of the Year and presented the Volunteer of the Year Award to senior swimmer Aubry Matthews.

“What an honor! I am very excited for Aubry and all of our student-athletes,” said Maggie Bailey, Associate AD and Senior Woman Administrator. “Aubry worked diligently to organize all of the teams who volunteered for the Little Rock Marathon. I’m confident we will continue this partnership with the Little Rock Marathon and eager for the volunteer opportunities moving forward!” 

During the past year, Little Rock student-athletes volunteered during the Creep-N-Crawl 5K and half marathon in October, the Ugly Sweater 5K in December, the Little Rock Marathon 10K and Little Rock Half Marathon in March. Matthews – who also serves as President of Little Rock’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) during the 2023-24 academic year — spearheaded several volunteer efforts involving student-athletes from Little Rock.

“We had a volunteer group drop out a day or two before the Ugly Sweater event and I called Aubry,” Little Rock Marathon Committee member Darren Tillery said. “She was able to get a group of Trojan athletes to run our aid station for that race in addition to helping with packet pickup, medal distribution and finish line runner services. She took the lead and never looked back.”

Matthews also answered the call when the event had additional last-minute needs arise, organizing volunteers for during the 10K and marathon aid stations. During those events, she – along with her swim teammates – were actively volunteering in addition to organizing.

“What most people don’t realize is the amount of time it takes organizing an event,” Tillery added. “Aubry not only volunteered during these events but spent countless hours organizing volunteers before the events began.”