NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State softball team was recently honored by the University with the 2015 Ideal Spartan Award. The softball program earned the honor for the fall of 2015 thanks to its numerous community service activities.

“It’s very special to receive the Ideal Spartan Award,” said head coach Heidi Cavallo. “This award represents what being a Spartan is all about.”

The softball program has taken part in numerous activities over the past several years, including collecting toys each December for Z104’s Stuff the Bus. This year the team collected and donated more than 200 to the local radio station’s annual campaign that benefits Toys for Tots.

The Spartans also cooked dinner for families at the Ronald McDonald House and volunteered for numerous campus and athletic events in the fall. In the past, NSU softball players have also donated their time to Snowball Express, visited local elementary schools, offered free youth clinics at the NSU Softball Field and volunteered for a variety of campus activities and athletic community service projects, the latter in conjunction with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

The Ideal Spartan Award seeks to highlight students who contribute to the NSU community with actions that foster civility, pride, engagement, curiosity, integrity and excellence and who follow the Spartan Code of Ethics to “Nurture a Positive Atmosphere of Care, Concern, and Civility.”

Along with the team’s community service initiatives, 13 of the 15 players on the active roster had a GPA of 2.8 or better in the fall.