TAMPA, APRIL 23, 2024 – American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco announced the winners of the 2024 Inclusion Excellence Committee awards, which included honoring South Florida men's track and field student-athlete
Michael Bourne III and Dean of the
USF Health Taneja
College of Pharmacy Dr. Kevin Sneed.
The Inclusion Excellence Committee (formerly the Racial Equality Action Group) created awards to recognize the contributions of student-athletes, staff and other individuals related to the institution.
The American's Together We Stand Awards are awarded to one current student-athlete and one current institutional staff member that demonstrate excellence in advancing inclusion in their athletic department, at their institution and/or in their community.
Dr. Kevin Sneed
The winner of the Together We Stand Award for a Staff Member was Dr. Kevin Sneed, the Dean of the USF Health Tanjea College of Pharmacy and Senior Associate Vice President of USF Health.
Sneed was a co-director of the Community Outreach and Engagement Core, which is a federally funded center with a focus on creating community and academic partnerships to reduce cancer disparities among racial/ethnic minorities and medically underserved populations. In addition, he directs a community initiative as WE-CARE to improve underserved communities' participation in clinical research, as well as serving as a mentor to several South Florida student-athletes to provide guidance and real-life experience to aspiring pharmacists.
The winner of the Together We Stand Award for a Student-Athlete was
Michael Bourne III, a men's track and field student-athlete from South Florida.
Bourne is an active member of the USF Black Student Union as well as the Black Student Athlete Council that strives to eliminate racial disparities and improve outcomes for underrepresented communities.
His community service outreach has included Tampa Bay's MLK Day Parade, volunteering at Pizzo Elementary School and participating in "A Day in Green and Gold," where South Florida hosts children from local Boys and Girls Club locations.
Sneed and Bourne are both only the second individuals to be honored with this award.
American Athletic Conference Inclusion Excellence Committee Award History
Commissioner's Trailblazer Award
2023 – Dr. Richard E. Lapchick, UCF
2024 – Tina Sloan Green, Temple
Together We Stand Award – Student-Athlete
2023 – Charessa Crosse – Temple Women's Lacrosse
2024 –
Michael Bourne III – South Florida, Men's Track and Field
Together We Stand Award – Staff Member
2023 – Marlon Dechausay, Memphis
2024 – Dr. Kevin Sneed, South Florida
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics currently sponsors 21 varsity men's and women's teams that compete in 13 different sports, 20 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference, including the recent additions of women's lacrosse and women's beach volleyball. The Bulls' athletic program began in 1965 and is in its 58th season in 2023-24. More than 450 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. USF garnered two national championships in 2022-23 as Romaine Beckford won NCAA indoor and outdoor high jump titles. The Bulls have claimed 31 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, including three in 2023-24, and own 145 conference titles in 16 sports in department history, led by 20 each for men's tennis and men's soccer. USF has claimed 79 men's conference championships and 66 women's titles, led by 14 in women's tennis and 12 in volleyball. The Bulls have posted a combined annual grade-point average for a program record of 18 straight as of fall 2023. USF has had over 600 student-athletes earn their degree since 2016-17.
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– #GoBulls –
