USF Athletics

Bulls Beautify Bay Area During Stampede of Service

January 15, 2018

PHOTO GALLERY
 
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, JAN. 15, 2018 – More than 40 USF student-athletes from six different sports teams beautified the Bay Area during the university's Stampede of Service event on Saturday.

A total of 42 student-athletes from the Bulls' baseball, women's golf, men's soccer, softball, women's track and field, and volleyball programs helped out Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation at Mann Wagnon Memorial Park.

For about three hours Saturday morning, the Bulls picked up debris, put in new shell on the park's walkways, added new plants and mulch to the park's garden, laid sod and provided a clear view of the river by cutting down brush at the location in the heart of Tampa.

"It's just been amazing," said Melinda Wheatley, Senior Recreation Therapist for Hillsborough County Park, Recreation and Conservation "Everybody is so enthusiastic to jump right in, get going, follow directions and do exactly what you're asking for."

Women's golf team member Emily Cardella served as USF's student site leader for the day.

"I'm very happy with how it turned out," said Cardella, a Tampa native. "I'm very happy to see all these USF student-athletes coming out to serve the community, as well as represent the school."

Stampede of Service was started in 2006 and it serves as USF's kick-off for MLK Day celebration events. Stampede of Service has grown from more than 900 participants in 2006 to thousands annually serving more than 60 different organizations in the Tampa Bay community.
 
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics sponsors 19 varsity men's and women's teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls' athletic program celebrated its 50^th anniversary in 2015, having begun with a men's soccer contest in 1965. Nearly 500 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 13 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, including four in 2016-17, and own 110 conference championships overall. Ten USF programs reached national post-season competition in the 2016-17 season and nine were ranked in the Top 25 nationally. The Bulls posted a program-record 86 percent Graduation Success Rate in 2016, logged an annual department grade-point average over a 3.0 for the second straight year and saw 106 student-athletes earn their degree during the 2016-17 academic period.
 
Follow @USFAthletics on twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Athletic program.