May 2, 2018
Birmingham, Ala. - Auburn track and field athletes Wesley Curles has been named the men's 2017-18 Brad Davis Southeastern Conference Community Service Leader of the Year, Commissioner Greg Sankey announced Wednesday. A native of Montgomery, Curles is Auburn's fourth winner since the award was created in 1996 and is joined by women's recipient Grace McLaughlin, a gymnast from Florida.
Curles and McLauglin were chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from SEC universities. Each will receive a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship, provided by the SEC.
"It's a huge honor and a little overwhelming to receive the Brad Davis Community Service Leader of the Year award," Curles said. "I'm proud to be a part of organizations like Auburn and the Southeastern Conference that value service and giving back to the community so much that they have created this award that is focused on community service. It's especially important at this point in my life to focus on others more than myself. Giving back is a reminder that it is important to invest in others and it also provides me proper perspective."
In the community, Curles does extensive volunteer work with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, East Alabama Medical Center and the Jason Dufner Charitable Foundation, as well as Salvation Army Angel Tree Christmas Assistance, The Big Event, Dean Road Elementary Running Club and Cary Woods Elementary Read Aloud Day. Curles has also worked tutoring local high school students in chemistry, biology and math, and as part of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America has served as a mentor to a local elementary schooler since 2016.
"It is an extremely high honor to receive the Brad Davis SEC Community Service Award and Wesley Curles is truly deserving," Auburn Director of Athletics Allen Greene said. "He has been a great ambassador for Auburn with his outstanding service and humility in the community. Wesley is a true Auburn man and his well-rounded attributes in the community, in the classroom and on the track will serve him well as he embarks on a decades-long journey through life."
Majoring in Biomedical Sciences and scheduled to graduate this semester, Curles is a four-time Auburn University Dean's List member, a four-time SEC Academic Honor Roll recipient and member of Phi Kappa Phi and Chi Alpha Sigma National Honor Society. A Rhodes Scholarship nominee, Curles received the 2018 Auburn University Algernon Sydney Award recipient, given annually to two Auburn University students that embody high qualities of nobility and character. He has also been a part of Auburn's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for the past two years and two been named Auburn Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
On the track, Curles is a three-time SEC Championship scorer, placing fourth indoor in the mile in 2017 and sixth in 2018, while claiming fifth outdoors last season at 1500 meters. His PR indoor mile time of 4:03.37 makes him the No. 8 performer all-time at Auburn in the event. A two-time cross country captain, Curles was a 2017 NCAA East Regional finalist at 1500 meters.
"Grace McLaughlin and Wesley Curles epitomize the spirit of the SEC's commitment to service and they prove through their work in their communities that the young people of our conference really do have the ability to change the world in which they live," said Sankey. "Grace and Wesley are outstanding representatives of their respective institutions and the many student-athletes in the SEC who have chosen to make their world a better place."
The SEC Community Service Post-Graduate Scholarship is named for former Associate Commissioner Brad Davis. Davis succumbed to cancer on March 2, 2006. He had been a member of the SEC staff since 1988, first serving as an assistant commissioner until 1994 when he was promoted to associate commissioner.
In addition, the recipients for the Brad Davis SEC Community Service Award from the other Conference schools will receive a $5,000 scholarship, provided by the SEC.
The SEC Community Service Post-Graduate Scholarship was first presented in 1996. Previous Auburn winners of the Brad Davis SEC Community Service Award include men's swimming Eric vanGoethem (2002), men's basketball player Andrew Smith (2009) and gymnast Krissy Voss (2010).