Gator Mackenzie Caquatto Named to SEC Gymnastics Community Service Team
Wednesday, March 12, 2014 | Gymnastics
University of Florida senior Mackenzie Caquatto is this year's Gator gymnastics representative for the Southeastern Conference Community Service Team, the league office announced Wednesday. The team is made up of one gymnast from each of the eight competing universities who gives back to her community through exemplary service efforts. Each of the 21 sports the league sponsors has its own Community Service Team.
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| Mackenzie Caquatto coaches a gymnast at the 2013 Harvest Food Drive. The event attracted 85 young gymnasts and also brought in more than 625 pounds of canned and non-perishable foods, which was donated to a Gainesville area food bank. |
Over her Gator career, Caquatto has totaled more than 210 hours of community service, including more than 100 hours since the beginning of the 2013-14 academic year. For the past three years, Caquatto – who hopes to pursue a career in education - has spent a large part of her time volunteering in various elementary schools around Gainesville. Starting in the fall of 2011, Caquatto has spent more than 130 hours working alongside the children of five different elementary schools. Caquatto has spent time in second grade classrooms and mentored students while helping them complete in-class assignments and homework. She has worked with at-risk students and after-school programs while guiding and helping the children remain on track by displaying the vital importance of school, self-motivation, and positive behavior.
Caquatto has joined her teammates in events aimed to bring awareness to the fight against breast cancer. The Gators gymnastics team volunteered at events such as Gainesville's “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Awareness Walk”. Caquatto joined the Gator gymnastics team as they visited and shared stories with Hope Lodge residents each of the last three years. The Hope Lodge is a residence for cancer patients to stay while being treated at UF's Shands Hospital. She also was a counselor at the team's annual Harvest Food Drive, an event which collects food donations for area families.
| 2014 Southeastern Conference | |
| School | Name |
| Alabama | Kim Jacob |
| Arkansas | Heather Elswick |
| Auburn | Megan Walker |
| Florida | Mackenzie Caquatto |
| Georgia | Cat Hires |
| Kentucky | Tiara Phipps |
| LSU | Kaleigh Dickson |
| Missouri | Mackenzie McGill |
Next up, the No. 3 Gators finish regular-season action Friday with a duel meet at Missouri. Meet time is set for 7:30 p.m. ET in the Hearnes Center.
The Florida-Missouri duel airs tape-delayed on Cox Sports Television (CST) (Gainesville/Ocala channel 1259) on March 22 at noon and again on March 23 at 11 p.m. ET.
Streaming video of Friday's meet can be found on the Missouri Network and live scoring can be found on GatorZone.com.
