Maya Neal Honored with 2019 Coach Chuck Rohe Leadership Award

University of Tennessee heptathlon/multi-event athlete Maya Neal is the fourth recipient of the annual Coach Chuck Rohe Leadership Award. Neal is a two-sport athlete who also stars on the UT soccer team, where she has been first-team All-SEC. Her best year in the heptathlon was 2018 when she was 4th in the SEC meet and 13th in the NCAA Outdoor Championships. A political science major with a minor in business administration, Neal has an extraordinary record of community service, locally and internationally. She is a member of Vol Leaders Academy, and she has been heavily involved in Girl Scouts of America where she is a recipient of the organization’s Gold and President’s Award for community service.

She is as an advocate for the people of Liberia, the homeland of her mother, and represented that country on the track at the 2016 African Championships. Realizing the need for athletic shoes, she collected some 270 pairs and shipped them to needy Liberians. She says she dreams of working overseas for a non-governmental organization such as Doctors without Borders or UNICEF. According to Coach Beth Alford-Sullivan, “Maya Neal has been an outstanding young person not only within the Track and Field program and the Soccer team, but the entire University of Tennessee community. She is a natural leader, a dedicated and talented athlete, a successful student, and an everyday impact person. I am proud of her earning this award, as her leadership within our program is felt daily. Thanks to Coach Rohe for honoring her in this manner and I look forward to her future!

Career Highlights

  • Two-sport athlete who also starred on the UT soccer team, where she was first-team All-SEC.
  • 2018 finished 4th in the SEC meet
  • 2018 finished 13th in the NCAA Outdoor Championships
  • Extraordinary record of community service, locally and internationally
  • Member of Vol Leaders Academy
  • Heavily involved in Girl Scouts of America where she is a recipient of the organization’s Gold and President’s Award for community service