Kamwanga And Weiss Earn Third Annual OVC Community Service Awards
6/11/2025 11:00:00 AM | Equestrian, General, Men's Basketball
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The Ohio Valley Conference revealed its recipients of the 2024-25 Community Service Awards today and University of Tennessee at Martin student-athletes David Kamwanga and Rileigh Weiss made the prestigious list.
First bestowed for the 2022-23 campaign, the OVC Community Service Awards are based on activities that took place during the previous academic year and recognize outstanding student-athletes for the contributions they make away from the playing surface, both on campus and in the community. OVC member institutions selected a maximum of one male and one female student-athlete as 18 total honorees make up the 2024-25 list.
"The OVC has always been about a sense of community," OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche said. "We are delighted to continue to bestow these awards to these outstanding student-athletes who are giving back to their communities."
Kamwanga (men's basketball) and Weiss (equestrian) are the fourth and fifth Skyhawks to ever bring home an OVC Community Service Award, joining Anna Ordonio (equestrian, 2022-23), Parker Stewart (men's basketball, 2022-23) and Natalie Marques (equestrian, 2023-24).
A senior out of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kamwanga was part of UT Martin's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) leadership team and was an OVC SAAC representative for two years. He was heavily involved in the Captain's Pantry initiative (supplying free food for students on campus), Special Olympics (volunteering during the state qualifying meets), Hawks For The Holidays program (fundraising and Christmas shopping for the Weakley County Department of Child Services, securing a $1,000 donation) and Take A Skyhawk to School initiative (making multiple visits to area schools to promote reading literacy).
Weiss was also on the UT Martin SAAC leadership squad for two seasons, serving as the organization's vice president. In addition to the aforementioned Captain's Pantry, Special Olympics, Hawks For The Holidays and Take A Skyhawk To School initiatives, the senior from Orlando, Fla. also took part in the United Way Skyhawk Scholars Program (visiting schools to reward elementary students after reading challenges), Fellowship of Christian Athletes (school leader who visited multiple schools to teach lessons), Trick or Trot (community-wide Halloween trick-or-treating with the equestrian program's horses), Project of Hope (UT Martin-sponsored trip to build chicken coops in Guatemala for single mothers and widows' egg operations) and Reach for Uganda (equestrian team philanthropy project to help offer support for Uganda women to receive a college education).
First bestowed for the 2022-23 campaign, the OVC Community Service Awards are based on activities that took place during the previous academic year and recognize outstanding student-athletes for the contributions they make away from the playing surface, both on campus and in the community. OVC member institutions selected a maximum of one male and one female student-athlete as 18 total honorees make up the 2024-25 list.
"The OVC has always been about a sense of community," OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche said. "We are delighted to continue to bestow these awards to these outstanding student-athletes who are giving back to their communities."
Kamwanga (men's basketball) and Weiss (equestrian) are the fourth and fifth Skyhawks to ever bring home an OVC Community Service Award, joining Anna Ordonio (equestrian, 2022-23), Parker Stewart (men's basketball, 2022-23) and Natalie Marques (equestrian, 2023-24).
A senior out of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kamwanga was part of UT Martin's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) leadership team and was an OVC SAAC representative for two years. He was heavily involved in the Captain's Pantry initiative (supplying free food for students on campus), Special Olympics (volunteering during the state qualifying meets), Hawks For The Holidays program (fundraising and Christmas shopping for the Weakley County Department of Child Services, securing a $1,000 donation) and Take A Skyhawk to School initiative (making multiple visits to area schools to promote reading literacy).
Weiss was also on the UT Martin SAAC leadership squad for two seasons, serving as the organization's vice president. In addition to the aforementioned Captain's Pantry, Special Olympics, Hawks For The Holidays and Take A Skyhawk To School initiatives, the senior from Orlando, Fla. also took part in the United Way Skyhawk Scholars Program (visiting schools to reward elementary students after reading challenges), Fellowship of Christian Athletes (school leader who visited multiple schools to teach lessons), Trick or Trot (community-wide Halloween trick-or-treating with the equestrian program's horses), Project of Hope (UT Martin-sponsored trip to build chicken coops in Guatemala for single mothers and widows' egg operations) and Reach for Uganda (equestrian team philanthropy project to help offer support for Uganda women to receive a college education).
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