LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Ann Savage, a junior on the Kangaroos' women's basketball team, has been selected the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Character and Community Female Student Athlete of the Week for the week beginning December 4, 2017.
The SCAC honors the efforts of student-athletes who excel in the field of athletics, and also serve their campus and community.
Savage's last name belies her quiet, humble nature.
When she's on the basketball court, the soft-spoken point guard tends to let her play do the talking. Savage, a junior from Tulsa, Oklahoma leads the Kangaroos by example, stepping up to take – and more often than not, make – big shots in big moments.
Of course, while she's not overly vocal on the court, her teammates know that when she does speak up, it's in their best interest to listen. Her leadership style – holding teammates accountable and making sure everyone is putting in the work needed to succeed as a team – has earned her universal respect from her teammates, as well as the complete trust of head coach Michelle Filander.
As an All-Conference performer last year, Savage burst onto the scene following a freshman season that saw her miss the entire year due to injury, and she's established herself as one of the top three-point shooters in the SCAC. But as much of an impact as she has on the court, Savage makes just as big an impact off. And in keeping with her humble nature, she does it quietly and without a lot of fanfare.
For the last couple of years, Savage has been involved with the Austin College Service Station and the Alpha Phi Omega national service fraternity. In addition to working on her game – and she spends hours in the gym, always working to perfect her shot with thousands of jumpers outside of practice – and putting in her work in the classroom, where she's a straight-A student as well, she also commits to 30 hours of community service per semester.
Much of that time has been spent tutoring children in the local Sherman community. For the past three years, Savage has been working with the same child in particular, and taken tremendous pride and joy in watching his growth both as a student and as a person. She's also served as the Intramural Chair for Austin College's chapter of APO, as well as participated in the service fraternity's Jan Serve and Green Serve events the last two years.
Working with kids locally has also made Savage want to do the same globally. That's where Austin College Global Outreach comes in. Savage has applied for a Global Outreach (GO) Fellowship for next summer, which would enable her to travel to Peru to work with and tutor children, and give her the opportunity not just to help better their lives, but to experience their culture as well.