UTA student athletes are winning on and off the court.

The men's basketball team is on a roll with big upsets on the road and big wins at home - plus the Sun Belt Conference already has named Sophomore Kevin Hervey student-athlete of the week twice this season.

The winning ways continue off the court.

This week, the Sun Belt Conference named UTA's Student Athlete Advisory Committee the winner of its Community Service Initiative for the month of November. In the monthly point competition, UTA amassed almost three times as many points as any other Sun Belt Conference school.

Service initiatives included a volleyball game that raised money for breast cancer awareness and a canned food drive for Mission Arlington, which collected more than 3,400 cans. Student athletes also visited local schools and hospitals.

"It's great to see how much they did this month compared to other schools," said Student Development Specialist Tim Kennedy. "They've done a really great job of reaching out to the community and serving the community."

UTA is uniquely positioned in the heart of one of the fastest-growing metropolitan regions in the world, which means need is everywhere. These student athletes recognize that, and want to help. The university challenges all students to engage with their community, and make a change.

"We are UT Arlington. This is our city," said Darien McLemore, a senior infielder for the UTA baseball team and president of the student committee. "To be able to give back to people who give us so much, who come out and support our games, we have to be able to give back to them."

SAAC's community service initiatives continue with a teddy bear drive and coat drive during the winter months.

The men's basketball team is back in action at 7 p.m. Dec. 21 at College Park Center vs. Sul Ross State. The women's and men's teams play in a UTA doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. Dec. 30 at College Park Center. Tickets are available at www.utatickets.com.