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Good Works Team Nominees: Allstate and NACDA salute spring student-athletes making a difference

via Business Wire

Over 200 spring student-athletes are nominated for their service as the Good Works Team expands its influence.

Allstate and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) today announced 207 student-athlete nominees for the inaugural Allstate NACDA Good Works Team (Spring), celebrating their leadership beyond sports. This year, the program expanded to honor both male and female student-athletes from all sports and divisions for their commitment to community service, academic excellence and athletics achievement.

“These remarkable young men and women define what it means to lead and serve — whether pulling a fire truck to raise funds for pediatric cancer research, spearheading a campus-wide campaign to eliminate plastic waste or earning EMT certification to assist their communities in times of crisis,” said Elizabeth Brady, Allstate’s chief marketing, customer and communications officer. “We honor their unwavering commitment to community service.”

Meet the nominees

The 2025 Allstate NACDA Good Works Team (Spring) nominees spotlight student-athletes who demonstrate exceptional service to their communities across 13 collegiate spring sports, including baseball, softball, tennis, golf, lacrosse, track & field and many more. Nominees and their primary community service causes include:

  • Dylan Anthony: Stetson University | Softball | Health & Wellness Education
  • Brinlee Barry: University of Findlay | Women’s Lacrosse | Mental Health Awareness
  • Carson Burke: Pacific Lutheran University | Baseball | Bone Marrow Registry
  • Quinn Clifford: Illinois Wesleyan University | Men’s Golf | Childhood Hunger
  • Melody Ghaffari: University of California, Santa Cruz | Women’s Tennis | Adaptive Sports & Inclusion
  • Kaylee Hull: CSU Dominguez Hills | Softball | Elderly Care
  • Lionel McPhaull: Arizona Christian University | Men’s Outdoor Track & Field | Youth Mentorship
  • Jami Morris: Penn State University | Women’s Golf | Cancer Research
  • Tim Nicholson: The George Washington University | Baseball | Childhood Illness Support – Pediatric Health & Wellness
  • Eli Paton: Grand Canyon University | Baseball | Childhood Illness Support – Pediatric Health & Wellness
  • Male’ata Polamalu: Umpqua Community College | Women’s Outdoor Track & Field | Health & Wellness Education

A distinguished selection committee of athletics directors, former athletes and industry leaders will choose the final 20-member team — 10 female and 10 male student-athletes — set to be announced April 29. One student captain will also be named to represent the group. The full list of the 2025 Allstate NACDA Good Works Team (Spring) nominees is now available here.

Expanding recognition across all sports

Announced in December, the Allstate NACDA Good Works Team now recognizes 60 student-athletes annually across fall, winter and spring seasons. The inaugural winter team recently received 193 nominations, with standout Auburn gymnast Sophia Groth named the first female captain ever named for a Good Works Team. As president of Auburn’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Groth has championed community outreach, advocating for student parents completing their degrees through initiatives including Baby Steps.

About the Allstate NACDA Good Works Team

The Allstate NACDA Good Works Team was established in 2024 to recognize male and female student-athletes across all collegiate sports and divisions for their leadership in community service, academics and athletics. Building on the legacy of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, which has honored college football players since 1992, this expanded initiative highlights the impact of student-athletes who go beyond the game to serve others.

About NACDA

Now in its 60th year, NACDA is the professional and educational Association for more than 24,000 college athletics administrators at more than 2,300 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. NACDA manages 19 professional associations and four foundations. In addition to virtual programming, NACDA hosts and/or has a presence at seven major professional development events in-person annually. The NACDA & Affiliates Convention is the largest gathering of collegiate athletics administrators in the country. For more information, visit www.nacda.com.

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