Track and Field’s Skylar Ciccolini Selected as Brad Davis SEC Community Service Leader of the Year
5/12/2026 10:00:00 AM | Track & Field
The graduate student becomes the third in Mizzou history to receive the honor.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou track and field student-athlete Skylar Ciccolini has been named the 2025-26 Brad Davis Southeastern Conference Community Service Leader of the Year, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey announced Tuesday.
Ciccolini becomes the third student-athlete in Missouri history to receive the honor since joining the league in 2012 and first since 2014, joining Mackenzie "Mackenie" McGill of gymnastics and Joseph Hladik of swimming & diving in 2013.
Ciccolini and Georgia swimmer Sam Powe were selected by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from SEC universities. Each recipient will receive a $15,000 postgraduate scholarship, provided by the SEC.
The SEC Community Service Postgraduate Scholarship is named in honor of former Associate Commissioner Brad Davis, who succumbed to cancer on March 2, 2006. Davis had been a member of the SEC staff since 1988, first serving as an assistant commissioner before being promoted to associate commissioner in 1994.
"Skylar embodies everything this award represents," head coach Brett Halter said. "Her impact reaches far beyond the throwing sector through the way she serves others, leads with humility and represents Missouri every single day. What makes Skylar truly special is her ability to pursue excellence in every area of her life, whether that's competing at an elite level in the javelin, achieving at the highest levels academically or dedicating herself to improving the lives of people in the community. This is an incredibly well-deserved honor for one of the most remarkable student-athletes I've had the opportunity to coach."
In addition, the recipients of the Brad Davis SEC Community Service Award from the other conference schools will receive a $7,500 scholarship, provided by the SEC.
Ciccolini was recognized for her extensive commitment to community service, logging hundreds of service hours throughout her career while supporting underserved populations in the Columbia community. She organized "Someone Else's Shoes," a multi-year shoe drive benefiting Turning Point Homeless Center that collected more than 300 pairs of shoes for individuals experiencing homelessness over three years.
Ciccolini has also volunteered extensively with local food banks and food insecurity relief initiatives throughout the Columbia area while participating in youth mentorship and outreach programs through local schools and service organizations. She has served as a camp counselor and mentor for youth athletics and educational programs and remains active in Mizzou Athletics community outreach efforts and departmental service initiatives.
On May 5, Ciccolini was recognized nationally for her excellence in service, academics and athletics as a member of the 2025-26 Allstate NACDA Good Works Team.
Academically, Ciccolini became the first student-athlete in Missouri Athletics history to receive the Walter Byers Graduate Scholarship, the NCAA's highest academic honor.
After graduating summa cum laude with both bachelor's and master's degrees, she continues pursuing her doctorate in natural resources with research focused on tick-borne disease systems while also teaching an undergraduate laboratory course. She aspires to become a professor at a Tier I research university while continuing public-facing scientific research and mentorship.
Ciccolini has also added to her decorated athletic resume during the 2026 outdoor season, helping lead Missouri's women's javelin squad to the nation's No. 1 event group ranking six times. Her personal-best throw of 57.45 meters (188-6) ranks No. 3 in Missouri history and among the nation's top marks this season, earning her SEC Co-Field Athlete of the Week honors on March 24.
The Tigers enter postseason competition at the SEC Outdoor Championships, hosted by Auburn at Hutsell-Rosen Track from May 14-16.
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