TAMPA, Fla. – University of Tampa senior women’s lacrosse player Claire Swanson has been selected as the recipient of the 2019-20 Freddie Solomon Community Service Award. She becomes the eighth recipient of the annual award, which is named after the UT alum and former NFL standout.

The most decorated player in program history, Swanson is coming off a campaign where she led the Spartans with 22 assists, as she added nine assists to have 31 points for the year. She led the team with 36 draw controls and finished third on the team with 13 groundballs. Swanson would be the catalyst of the Spartans offense which ranked 12th in the nation in points per game and 15th in the nation in scoring offense.

Swanson was most recently named the 2020 Inside Lacrosse NCAA Division II National Player of the Year. She is a two-time All-SSC Second Team Selection and a one-time All-SSC First Team Selection. As a result of her junior campaign, she was selected as UT’s first-ever IWLCA First Team All American. A captain of the 2020 squad, Swanson rules the Spartan record books with her accomplishments, most notably leading in career draw controls (305), ranking second in career goals made (123), third in career points (158; 123g, 35a) and eighth in career games started (49). The midfielder capped her career off by starting and playing in all seven games of the 2020 season.

In addition to her success on the field, Swanson has found time off the field to be active within her community. She volunteers weekly on Sunday’s to serve on the welcome, greeter, and/or café team at her church, Radiant Church. She greets churchgoers, shows them around, gets them connected, serves them coffee, tea, water and donuts, and is a smiling face to see on Sunday.

Attending a summer missions’ trip to Sri Lanka with her church sharing the gospel, she also works at VBS at Radiant Church. She also leads a Small Group Bible Study at her church.

Swanson has also volunteered at Special Olympics Florida, assisting with Opening Eyes, a program for disabled kids to receive in-depth eye evaluations and glasses for free. She helped run tests during the event, including depth perception, verbalization of sightings, vision testing and socializing with the athletes.

A member of the Air Force ROTC, she has volunteered for AFROTC recruiting events at UT, where she had a table of brochures, information and handouts. She also interacted with prospective students about the possibilities of AFROTC.

She has also volunteered within her sport, coaching, helping, and assist with the University of Tampa Women’s Lacrosse Team Prospect Clinic. At the clinics, she ran drills and answered questions of the athletes, videotaped, and gave tours. She has also been involved with the UT women’s lacrosse team, volunteering at local underprivileged elementary schools giving holiday gifts, singing songs with the kids, and engaging with the students.

Due to the cancellation of the 2020 Sparty’s, the major awards for the 2019-20 season with be announced throughout the week on TampaSpartans.com. Other awards include the Iron Spartan Award, Melissa Vanderhall Spartan Cape Award, and the Scholar-Athlete Award.

About Freddie Solomon

In addition to his success on the field, Solomon was also known as a man who devoted his time and efforts to giving back and serving his community. A former football player at UT, Solomon went on to enjoy a prosperous NFL career where he was a Super Bowl champion as a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers. Solomon was also a fixture in the Tampa Bay community, helping numerous charities and becoming involved with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

A plaque is displayed in the Bob Martinez Athletics Center lobby recognizing the award, along with its namesake. There is also a plaque honoring the current recipient of the award.

Following is a list of previous winners of the Freddie Solomon Community Service Award.

2013 – Frances Cardenas, Volleyball
2014 – Raquel Gutierrez, Women’s Golf
2015 – Andrew Clare, Men’s Soccer
2016 – Rachael Foote, Softball
2017 – Jessie Boria, Men’s Cross Country/Track
2018 – Megan Sanchez, Women’s Lacrosse
2019 – Corinne Fanta, Women’s Cross Country/Track