JACOB TOM OF UNIVERSITY OF DALLAS, a senior on the men’s lacrosse team, has been selected the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Character & Community Male Student-Athlete of the Week for the period beginning May 8, 2017.
The SCAC honors the efforts of student-athletes who excel in the field of athletics, and also serve their campus and community.
Tom spearheaded a project that helped the Crusaders work together and bond in the offseason. Tom reached out to the local community and was put in contact with “Keep Irving Beautiful” and “City of Irving Parks and Recreational Aquatics Department” The team commuted a couple minutes away from campus and painted the fences and helped with the beautification of a pool facility at the Lively Pointed Park.
“I contacted the city of Irving to see if we (men’s lacrosse) could do anything to help out the local area,” Tom explained. “They put me in contact with Keep Irving Beautiful, which is a program that goes around to the city to make sure all the public systems are looking up to par.”
In addition to being able to serve the local community, it helped a roster that had several newcomers bond and work together.
“Part of being a student-athlete is learning how to work with others and learning how to be part of a team,” Tom explained. “We were able to put ourselves into something bigger team-wise and be able to foster that growth that we need on the field, but also off the field by helping out others and that is a win-win situation in my eyes.”
Tom has lettered three seasons for the Crusaders and holds a couple records in the men’s lacrosse program. He is the season and career record holder for caused turnovers with 26 (2016) and 49, respectively. The native of Waukesha, Wisconsin, also tied the all-time record in games played for the program with 49.
Tom has enjoyed his time on the squad and been impacted by the community while studying English at the University of Dallas.
“The community in the Dallas area and specifically in Irving has given me so many opportunities to do things not only academically and athletically, but just being part of the community as a whole has given a new perspective on life,” Tom reflected. “Giving back to that community in that area (Irving) in that atmosphere only makes sense to me.”