Olivia Hepworth Receives C-USA Spring Spirit of Service Award

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Olivia Hepworth is one of 13 nominees to receive the prestigious Conference USA award honoring student athletes with significant community service endeavors, good academic standing and participation in their sport.

Conference USA announces three Spirit of Service Awards throughout the academic year. The spring iteration for the 2021-22 year includes baseball, men's and women's golf, outdoor track and field, softball, men's and women's tennis and beach volleyball.

Hepworth becomes the first Southern Miss Beach Volleyball student-athlete to receive the award, as well as the first-ever C-USA Beach Volleyball nominee.

About Hepworth
A native of Gulf Breeze, Fla., Hepworth is one of three Golden Eagles to letter in all four seasons of the program's existence. She leaves the sands of Hattiesburg leading almost every statical category.

Her 113 career matches are the most by any Golden Eagle as are her 45 career wins. In her four years at Southern Miss, there was truly no one better, on and off the court.

Earlier this semester, Hepworth received the Golden Standard Award from the Southern Miss Student Athlete Advisory Council for embodying what it means to be a Golden Eagle while best representing her team.

Her 113 career matches are the most by any Golden Eagle as are her 45 career wins. In her four years at Southern Miss, there was truly no one better, on or off the court.

"Throughout the years I have had the opportunity to coach many incredible young women, said Golden Eagle head coach Shawn Taylor. "Occasionally, there are student-athletes that differentiate themselves from the group, and Olivia Hepworth s one of those people.

In the span of 4 years, she managed to knock out an undergraduate degree in Health Administration along with an MBA. All while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

During her tenure at Southern Miss, Olivia has started her own business back home, managed it and sold it. She frequently led her peer bible study group. In addition to volunteering with various team engagements, Olivia has also started a nonprofit raising approximately $350,000 to install 14 fresh water drinking wells. On top of all that she finds time to mentor others.

She was one of two beach-only players and helped launch the program here at Southern Miss. Her work ethic, leadership, and appreciation have helped us build a solid foundation.

They may exist and of course, all coaches are biased but I really don't think you can find a more deserving person for this award."

Hepworth gave back as much off the court as she put in on it. As an undergraduate, she was an active member of Chi Omega Sorority—Epsilon Delta Chapter— and Eagle Catholic, participating in community service and philanthropic initiatives for both organizations, even serving as Eagle Catholic president.

In the classroom, Hepworth excelled in her bachelor's and master's programs. She was named to the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll (3.0+ Cumulative GPA) each season with the Golden Eagles and was twice named to Southern Miss President's List (4.0 GPA).

In her Master of Business Administration program, Hepworth maintained a 4.0 GPA and was named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll for the academic year.

The recent alumna plans to spend at least the next two years as a missionary for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). In preparation for her assignment, Hepworth will spend the summer at Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Fla. with current and future missionaries from across the nation.

After summer training, she will be assigned to Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. She will spend two years there ministering to students on the Aggie campus and across the College Station community. After two years, she will have the option to continue as a missionary, either staying at Texas A&M or moving to another campus.

2021-22 Spring Spirit of Service Award Nominees
Charlotte – Cori Henderson, Softball Jr.
Florida Atlantic – Nick Toney, Baseball Sr.
FIU – Bailey Grossenbacher, Softball So.
Louisiana Tech – Emma Hutchinson, Softball So.
Marshall – Jackie Schmidt, Women's Golf Sr.
Middle Tennessee – Francisco Rocha, Men's Tennis Sr.
North Texas – Zion Hill, Track and Field Sr.
Old Dominion – Matt Coutney, Baseball Sr.
Rice – Travis Dowd, Track and Field So.
Southern Miss – Olivia Hepworth, Beach Volleyball Sr.
UTEP – Toni Gonzalez, Softball So.
UTSA – Riley Grunberg, Softball Sr.
Western Kentucky – Faith Martin, Women's Golf Fr.

Nominees By Sport
Softball – 5
Baseball – 2
Track and Field – 2
Women's Golf – 2
Beach Volleyball – 1
Men's Tennis – 1

Nominees By Class
Senior – 7
Sophomore – 4
Freshman – 1
Junior – 1

– Twitter: @SouthernMissBVB | SouthernMiss.com | Instagram: @southernmissbvb –

University of Southern Mississippi Athletics

Olivia Hepworth Receives C-USA Spring Spirit of Service Award

Related News

Players Mentioned

Olivia Hepworth

Related Videos