FLORENCE, Ala. (June 1, 2026) – On Monday, the University of North Alabama announced its yearly report from Helper Helper — a platform used to track volunteer hours in college athletics. The results showed UNA was among the most engaging universities in the country.
UNA turned in 5,057 community engagement hours to rank No. 15 nationally for Division I schools. According to the report, UNA had an economic impact of $182,764 in the Shoals community.
UNA also had one of the top individuals in the country when it comes to volunteer hours. Junior cross country runner
Brent Lyons finished with 181 volunteer hours to lead the nation among Division I male athletes.
"Community engagement is one of the foundational pillars of our department, and this recognition reflects the commitment our student-athletes and staff have to serving others," said UNA Director of Athletics
Dr. Josh Looney. "To see North Alabama rank among the leaders in community engagement hours speaks volumes about our culture. We are especially proud of
Brent Lyons for leading the nation in volunteer hours, which is an incredible accomplishment and a true representation of what it means to be a Lion. His leadership and selflessness set the standard for our program and embody the impact we strive to make beyond competition."
Within the department, the Lions had eight sports ranked among the top 10 nationally in total community engagement hours. UNA Beach Volleyball led the way with a No. 2 ranking among Division I beach volleyball programs, while men's cross country ranked third.
The men's and women's tennis programs both ranked fourth nationally, while men's golf ranked sixth, women's golf and baseball ranked seventh and softball finished 10th.
In total, Helper Helper reported 637,205 combined hours from all schools with 20,100 opportunities and 57,858 participants. Every athletic department combined for an economic impact of over $23 million.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
