Courtesy: Tennessee Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee student-athletes Griffin Hadley (men’s swimming), Jahmai Mashack (men’s basketball), Kate McCarville (women’s swimming) and Luke Bibee (cheer) are 2024-25 Torchbearer Award winners.
The Torchbearer is the highest student honor conferred by the University of Tennessee. Torchbearers have served their alma mater with overall excellence. The Torchbearer is awarded for academic achievement and outstanding commitment to others as demonstrated by the student’s various activities and significant contributions to the university and the community.
Students chosen for this award embody the Volunteer spirit, displaying initiative and service in the best interests of both the university and their fellow students. Recognition as a Torchbearer reminds all students that those who bear the torch of enlightenment shadow themselves to give light to others.
With the selection of Hadley, Mashack and McCarville, a total of 33 Tennessee varsity student-athletes have received the prestigious honor, which was first awarded in 1931. This is the first time since the inaugural year three or more student-athletes earned the recognition in the same year, with Hadley and Mashack are the first non-football male athletes to claim the distinction since 1953.
Hadley is the first male swimmer to garner Torchbearer status, while McCarville is the third women’s swimmer to do so and Mashack is the fourth men’s basketball player.
Hadley is majoring in journalism & media at Tennessee, and he’s built an impressive resume already from unique opportunities earned through the university as well as athletics. In addition to being an academic All-American for the Vols, Hadley held two major internships throughout his collegiate career, becoming the Co-Sports Director for WUTK as well as working with Omaha Productions.
WUTK is UT’s student-ran radio station, which helped Hadley grow as a sports journalist and earn his first leadership role on campus. Through this, he’s gained opportunities to call live sporting events, including numerous collegiate swimming competitions. Hadley’s experiences early in his career made him an ideal candidate for Omaha Production, a major sports media company is owned by former Tennessee football legend Peyton Manning.
Being a part of the VOLeaders Academy, Hadley learned to use sport for change in a positive way in the local community as well as on the international stage. In what he calls his most impactful and powerful storytelling so far in his career, he covered the 2024 Paralympics as a journalist as part of a partnership between USA Today and the school of journalism, giving adaptive sport athletes a voice.
Mashack is the chair of the 2024-25 SEC Men’s Basketball Leadership Council, as voted by his peers. This is his third straight year on the committee. He served as the vice chair in 2023-24. For the second year in a row, he is the SEC’s rep on the NCAA MBB Oversight Committee (MBOC) Student-Athlete Engagement Group.
A two-time SEC Community Service Team honoree, Mashack is extremely active with Second Harvest in Tennessee to address the food scarcity crisis, personally providing food to over 3,500 people and aiding in raising over $1 million. In his native Los Angeles area, Mashack and his family regularly feed members of the homeless community.
On Nov. 21, 2024, Mashack set up a virtual food drive for Second Harvest with the goal of raising $2,000 to feed 30 families during the holiday season. The goal was surpassed within hours and eventually closed at $14,700. On Dec. 18, he helped distribute the food from the money raised, providing 398 households with a total of 21,335 pounds of food. On March 3, Mashack set up another Second Harvest virtual food drive with the goal of raising $7,900, for the 79 points scored in UT’s win over Alabama. Within 48 hours, it generated over $38,000.
The senior guard, who graduated from Tennessee in December 2023 with a degree in psychology, is a member of both V.O.I.C.E., a black student-athlete council for community service, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes, through which he speaks at schools and churches.
Embracing the school nickname, McCarville has made her presence felt in the Knoxville community since arriving on Rocky Top. Boasting more than 200 hours of service, she has participated in events like community holiday meals and “Read to Lead” as well as kickball with local kids. However, the majority of her community service (160+ hours) has come with The League of Angels, which is a non-profit organization that provides baseball events for individuals with special needs. She spends free time as a volunteer team member with the organization, helping put on events and coach the athletes.
During the 2022-23 academic year, McCarville was a member of the VOLeaders Academy, which was developed to cultivate positive student-athlete leaders through sport to create positive social change. Her time with the program concluded with a cultural exchange trip to the Philippines, where she applied leadership skills and participated in service opportunities focused on community development and social change.
McCarville is a two-time CSCAA Scholar All-American and has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll three times. She boasts a 4.00 GPA as a therapeutic recreation & psychology major.
A native of Knoxville, Bibee graduates in May with a degree in business administration with a concentration in sales. He has been a member of UT’s cheerleading team since his first year at UT and helped them win the Gameday National Championship in 2024. He also boasted the highest GPA in the spirit program for the 2023-24 academic year.
Bibee is Interfraternity Council president and previously served as president of the Zeta chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He is also a UT ambassador with VolCorps, where he gives weekly tours to prospective students and their loved ones.
Bibee has volunteered with a variety of community organizations during his time as a student, including CareCuts of Knoxville, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, Knox Area Rescue Ministries, Restoration House and Generous House. He is a member of the Kappa Epsilon chapter of the Order of Omega, the Psi Society and the Student Conduct Board.
