SEC Announces 2025 Men’s Swimming & Diving Community Service Team

Courtesy: SEC Sports

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (February 18, 2025) – The SEC sponsors Community Service Teams for all 22 league sponsored sports. The Community Service Team looks to highlight an athlete from each school who gives back to their community in superior service efforts. The 2025 SEC Men’s Swimming & Diving Community Service Team is as follows: 

Drayden Bell, Junior, Alabama

Throughout his time at Alabama, Bell has volunteered with several organizations. Every Tuesday, he works with United Cerebral Palsy of West Alabama helping individuals with disabilities become more active through games and sports. As an athlete advisor/mentor, Bell has helped aid and guide student-athletes with mental struggles, helping to improve their mindset. He is one of the creators for Froz-Øne Swim, an organization that promotes minorities in swimming through a podcast that shares stories and experiences. Bell has worked with Wichita KanSwim, teaching kids from his home community different skills and drills to help them improve their overall performance. The UA junior’s mentorship extends to Matthews Elementary, where he works to improve student behavior and academic performance. Bell also greets new and current members at Church of Highlands and helps to film the Alabama’s swimming and diving team’s Red Man Group, a group that attends sporting events for the Crimson Tide with members painted in red body paint.

Britton Spann, Sophomore, Auburn

Spann has been an integral part of the Auburn community since arriving on the plans in the fall of 2023. This year alone, he has completed nearly a dozen community service projects, totaling more than 40 hours. A staple in the Auburn Best Buddies program, Spann is part of an organization that aims to foster relationships between college students and individuals ages 19 and older in Auburn and the surrounding community with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Lending his hand in events that range from Halloween parties to regular dinners and hangouts, he is more than a regular face around the program. Spann also spends three hours of his time at a local preschool every Wednesday, reading books and helping out wherever needed. Before the Christmas Holiday, he also spent time with the Giving Hope program, making sure the practical needs of children and families were met during the holiday season. Spann was named to the First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll at the end of last season.

Gio Linscheer, Junior, Florida

Linscheer has volunteered his time to students within Gainesville’s school district. Through Florida’s Gator Experience Program, he has had the opportunity to give students from Carolyn Beatrice Parker Elementary School tours of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. During the tour, Linscheer takes part in explaining different aspects of the stadium, while making the experience engaging and educational. A four-time All-American, he was named a 2024 CSCAA Scholar All-American as well as a member of the All-SEC Second Team and the Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll. Linscheer was also named to the SEC All-Freshman Team and the First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2023.

Jackson Bates, Senior, Georgia

Bates has participated in numerous community service projects during his time at the University of Georgia. Currently, he serves as the co-vice president of the UGA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. With the USA Swimming Foundation, Bates assisted in teaching children under the age of 10 the basics of swimming. He also volunteered with Swim Across America to support fundraising for cancer research. In the Athens area, Bates has contributed to Project Wet, educating children on aquatic environments, and to Project Wild, teaching environmental awareness. He has volunteered with the Athens Homeless Shelter to provide meals for residents, helped “stuff the truck” with the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, and assisted with the organization of the annual Special Olympics Prom. As the team’s designated Community Service Tracker, Bates gathered teammates to assist at the 2023 Clarke County Halloween Mentoring Event, as well as assembling furniture and cleaning the store for Athens Habitat for Humanity. A 2024 SEC Community Service Team honoree, he served as a SAAC team representative for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons before being elected the organization’s co-vice president. Bates volunteered as a coach at the Jack Bauerle Bulldog Swim Camps in 2023 and 2024. He was named to the 2023 and 2024 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team for Swimming & Diving. In 2023, Bates was awarded the UGA Dick Copas Leadership Award. He is currently serving as a leader in the UGA Student-Athlete Prayer Group.

Drew Johnson, Junior, Kentucky

Johnson developed a hurricane relief drive for those affected in his hometown of Clearwater, Fla., gathering supplies such as food, water, clothes and household items. He also got his college community involved with a donation raffle, which entitled the winners the chance to throw a pie in the face of a coach or a member of the UK supporting staff. Johnson has been recognized on the 2022-23 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll and 2023-24 Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll.

Zayne Danielewicz, Senior, LSU

This year, Danielewicz worked the swimming & diving’s booth at the Halloween Boozar, which is an annual event that allows varsity LSU teams to connect directly with the community by handing out candy and playing games with kids who come to trick-or-treat. Most recently, he participated in MLK Day of service, an opportunity for student-athletes to reach out help improve their community through service while honoring and celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year, Danielewicz worked at Cat Haven, a non-profit cat-only shelter in Baton Rouge, where he cleaned the facility and set up the operating room.

Will Whittington, Senior, Missouri

Whittington has amassed 107 hours of community service. He is active with Special Olympics, helping with swimming, basketball, bowling and other sports within the region. Whittington is a two-time member of the Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll.

Linus Kahl, Senior, South Carolina

Kahl tallied 30 hours of community service during his two years with South Carolina. He donated to the School Supply Donation Drive and to the Week of Giving. Kahl volunteered at the Columbia Greek Festival and organized a park clean-up for the men’s team at Owens Park in Columbia. Kahl helped out at the MLK Day of Service Event and participated in the Firetruck Pull. A three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, he garnered a spot on the 2024 CSC Academic All-District Team and the CSCAA Scholar All-America Second Team.

Ryan Williams, Junior, Tennessee

Williams has been active in the community since arriving at Tennessee, boasting 67 hours of service and counting. This year, he is participating in UT’s VOLeaders Academy, which was developed to cultivate positive student-athlete leaders through sport to create positive social change. This summer, Williams will conclude the program with a cultural exchange trip to another country, applying leadership skills and participating in service opportunities focused on community development and social change. He is also an active member in the Volunteer Impact Academy, which is a program that provides students with the platform to impact the community by creating sustainable change through leadership and service. In addition to his service in the Knoxville community, Williams also volunteers with the Truckee Tahoe Swim Team when he goes home to California. He is a two-time member of the Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll.

Will Modglin, Sophomore, Texas

Modglin is passionate about youth fitness. After he was named Hook ‘Em’s Community Hero in the month of December because of his efforts, Truist donated $500 to organizations that support and provide access to youth fitness. Modglin has spent time, along with his father, volunteering at elementary school physical education classes. He has also spent the previous few summers teach swim lessons to children.