Virginia men’s lacrosse player Jackson Appelt has been announced as the DI men’s lacrosse recipient of the 2020 Unsung Hero Award, as announced by the One Love Foundation.
The Yeardley Reynolds Love Unsung Hero Award, celebrating the accomplishments of collegiate lacrosse players who demonstrate dedication, integrity, humility, hard work, community service, leadership, kindness and sportsmanship.
Appelt, a rising fourth year on the UVA men’s lacrosse team, has made a lasting impact on Grounds since first stepping foot in Charlottesville. The midfielder is an Echols Scholar and Council Member of Student-Athlete Mentor (SAM)—the primary substance abuse program within UVA’s Athletic Department—and has played an integral role in redefining the program, most notably introducing the “Campfire Series,” a weekly opportunity for student-athletes to “speak through their issues in an open, honest, and vulnerable environment with peers who understand similar pressures.”
In the fall, Appelt was at the forefront of the men’s lacrosse program’s Will Barrow (’08) Memorial Flag Football Tournament—UVA’s largest fundraiser for the University of Virginia Suicide Hotline—and championed a $25,000 effort to establish the first-ever Will Barrow-Harlem Lacrosse Scholarships. In Fall 2020, Appelt is set to teach the “Together, We are Built to Last” course through the UVA CavEd program—bringing students together to explore personal growth and self-worth through passion and vulnerability amongst peers.
Upon returning to campus, Appelt will also have the honor of living on the Lawn—an honor bestowed upon exemplary students to live in one of the 54 dormitories in Thomas Jefferson’s original academical village.
The One Love Foundation and the YRL Unsung Hero Award Committee congratulate winners of this year’s Yeardley Reynolds Love Unsung Hero Award. Along with a silver bowl to commemorate this award, each winner will select a charity to receive a donation in their name.
Information from Virginia Athletics
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Chris Graham
