Tech celebrates Student-Athlete Appreciation Day with picnic

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Tech's student-athletes were treated to a picnic Tuesday during the Golden Eagle softball game against Tennessee, as the Athletics Department celebrated its annual Student-Athlete Appreciation Day.

Included in the day's events was a presentation of the "Stanley Can" to the soccer team for its role in the annual Canned Food Drive coordinated by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

In photo at right, soccer freshmen Chris Cambron (left) and Alex Stevenson, along with women's basketball sophomore Tacarra Hayes (right) prepare their chicken sandwiches, hamburgers and hot dogs.

Members of the football team cheer on the Golden Eagle softball team from the left field stands

Ashley Evans, Kathryn Forbes, Tiffany Palmer and Ashley Mayhew of the track & field team show off the Student-Athlete shirts

The bleachers were filled with student-athletes, including members of the soccer, women's basketball and men's basketball teams

Dr. Lance Jasitt (far left) and Director of Athletics Mark Wilson (background left) presented the "Stanley Can" to the Golden Eagle soccer team

Mandy Thatcher, coordinator of compliance, and Buddy Pearson, managing editor of the Cookeville Herald-Citizen, flipped some 300 hamburgers and 200 hot dogs.

Allison Price (left) and Sarah Smith smile for the camera

Soccer coaches Becky Fletcher (left) and Ronda Brooks, and SWA Tammie McMillan pass out cookie and chips

Misty Pearson, coordinator of corporate sales and marketing, gleefully served up 300 chicken sandwiches

The Golden Eagle football team was on hand to support the Golden Eagle softball squad including, from left, Travis Adkins, Marcus Edwards and Lamar Moore.

Former Golden Eagle wide receiver Drew Hixon,now a graduate assistant in the Athletics Department, did an award-winning job barbecuing the chicken for the student-athletes.