ATLANTA – Southern Cal’s Divya Manthena and Vanderbilt’s Will Gordon were named the recipients of the third annual Tom Cousins Award, given each year to the male and female collegiate players who excel in academics, engage in their community and demonstrate an ability to overcome adversity.
Manthena, a sophomore, founded her own non-profit organization, Krishak, and spearheaded five tournaments in the past six years to benefit organizations such as the American Red Cross, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Special Olympics.
A junior, Gordon has conducted a weekly after-school program for kids through the First Tee of Charlotte and currently volunteers as a tutor at elementary schools near Vanderbilt’s campus.
The award is named after developer and philanthropist Tom Cousins, who laid out an aspirational blueprint to revitalize the East Lake community of Atlanta by providing cradle-to-college education, mixed-income housing and community wellness.
Both Manthena and Gordon helped lead their teams to the finals of the East Lake Cup. Gordon earned medalist honors in the stroke-play portion.