MOUNT VERNON — Members of the Mount Vernon Nazarene University’s men’s soccer and basketball teams volunteered their time to help prepare the Kokosing Gap Trail for the spring and summer.
“I think it is important for students to make connections with the broader community they live in,” said Randy Cronk, president of the Kokosing Gap Trail board, and retiring professor of psychology and department chair at MVNU. “It helps students have a deeper sense of belonging and a sense that Knox County is a place they can call home. It can help students feel like civic engagement is something important and meaningful to do; that in addition to being members of the campus community they are citizens of Knox County.”
The 25 student-athletes participating on April 13, the 13th National Trail Opening Day, were divided into seven teams to cover the length of the KGT to clear debris and limbs from the berm. This task not only improved the aesthetics of the trail, but more importantly, prepared the berm for summer mowing.
Participating soccer players were Hidde Drost, Logan Thompson, Colt Tanner, Joshua Dunn, Brandon Mount, Tim Kasparek, Brett Cingle, Benjamin Fuller, Ethan Richter, Joshua Orecchio, Samuel Atkins, Seth Ward, Rene Diaz, Connor Davis, Cole Lope, Gabriel Burgos, Colin Gaines, Brady Thompson, Jonah Poole and Assistant Coach Salvador Velazquez.
Participating basketball players were Jacob Paul, Eddie Driskell, Ry Adams, Jevon Knox, Alex Johnson, David Delahunty and Head Coach Jared Ronai.
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