Photo by UK Athletics
Brad Davis was a Kentucky native, long-time sports information director at Kentucky, assistant commissioner with the Southeastern Conference from 1988-94 and then associate commissioner from 1994 until his death from cancer in 2006.
I was lucky to know him well and when you say you may never have met a nicer person, then you are talking about Brad Davis or someone like him.
That’s why today I think he’s smiling down from heaven after Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was named the Brad Davis SEC Community Service Female Leader of the Year — an award that earns her a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship provided by the SEC.
Gaines is the first UK swimmer — and fifth overall UK athlete — to win the award that was started in 1996. Previous UK winners were Carrie Kuhnell (women’s soccer, 1999), Antoine Huffman (football, 2006), Megan Moir (women’s golf, 2013) and Grace Trimble (women’s tennis, 2015).
Gaines and baseball’s Mason Hazlewood were announced as Kentucky’s winners of the Brad Davis SEC Community Service Award earlier and both will receive a $5,000 scholarship provided by the SEC for that honor.
Gaines, a 12-time All-American performer, has the UK record in three individual and four relays. She was a key performer when Kentucky won its first SEC championship in 2021.
At this year’s NCAA Championships, she finished fifth in the 200 freestyle. She won two gold medals at the 2022 SEC Championships and set three school records.
“I really like awards like this because it is about more than just athletics,” Gaines said. “It shows who you are as a total person and that makes it mean a lot more.”
She certainly checks all the boxes to win this award.
Gaines has been a near-perfect student and was named SEC Swimming and Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She recently graduate summa cum laude with a 3.876 cumulative grade-point average. She is a three-time College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America Scholar All-America first team selection.
Gaines plans to enter dental school — hopefully at UK — and scored very high on her dental school admission test.
She was also inducted into the Frank G. Ham Society of Character which honors student-athletes who show an “extraordinary commitment to academic excellence, athletic participation, personal development, career preparation and serving as a role model” and to me is one of the highest honors any UK athlete can receive.
“I feel like being the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year really showcased my academics and I have done tons of volunteer work and shadowing to show how much I value service,” she said.
She has volunteered with God’s Pantry, Special Olympics of Kentucky, Give 10 (R.E.A.L. Read), Shriner’s Hospital and Amachi. She also participated in the Kentucky United Telethon, which raised more than $3 million for the American Red Cross to help tornado victims.
“This is really a special award and one that will always mean a lot to me,” Gaines said.
