By Staff
 ECU Sports Information
IRVING, Texas — East Carolina softball senior Kaui Tom has been selected as one of 12 recipients of the spring Conference USA Spirit of Service Award Commissioner Britton Banowsky announced Wednesday afternoon. The C-USA Spirit of Service Award is designed to recognize the community service efforts of the league’s student-athletes, based upon significant community service, good academic standing and participation in their elected sport.
 The Spirit of Service award is presented three times throughout the season, with Wednesday’s honorees representing Conference USA’s spring sports: baseball, equestrian, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, outdoor track &field, softball and women’s rowing.
 Tom, who graduated with a 4.0 grade-point average as a health education and promotion major, is a four-time Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal and C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll selection. She was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Team and her second straight C-USA All-Academic Team as a senior. At her graduation, Tom was recognized as the top student for the entire department.
 The Kailua, Hawai’i, native is also a two-time East Carolina Academic Excellence Award winner, four-year Chancellor’s List member and 2009 East Carolina PCS Phosphates All-Academic Team honoree. During the 2009-10 school year, she dedicated more than 70 hours to community service projects around Greenville and Eastern Carolina.
 On the field, Tom helped the Pirates capture their first Conference USA regular season and tournament titles. She finished second on the team in runs batted in (26) and tied for second in home runs (5) while collecting 34 hits and scoring 23 runs. During the Conference USA Tournament, Tom, an all-tournament team selection, drove in a squad-best four runs in helping East Carolina outscore its opponents 15-1 over the three games. In league contests, she tied for the Pirate lead in runs scored (10) and RBI (10). Her 17 career home runs put her eighth in ECU program history.
 The Pirate defense closed the year ranked first in the nation with a .980 fielding percentage and Tom was one of the main reasons. The shortstop had just two errors in C-USA action and six all season.
2010 Spring Conference USA Spirit Of Service Honorees
Name, School, Sport
Kaui Tom, East Carolina, Softball
Charlissa Foster, Houston, Women’s Track &Field
Michaela Kissell, Marshall, Women’s Tennis
*Steffen Nerdal, Memphis, Men’s Track &Field
Brittany Washington, Rice, Women’s Track &Field
Catherine Campbell, SMU, Rowing
Kelly Rooney, Southern Miss, Women’s Track &Field
*Nicolette Taku, Tulane, Women’s Track &Field
Susan Stangl, Tulsa, Rowing
Mandy Lowman, UAB, Softball
Abby McClain, UCF, Softball
*Stacie Townsend, UTEP, Softball
* – Repeat winner