Junior forward Jeff Thayer has been successful on and off the field. He has logged more service hours than any other male athlete at CU, a total of over 150. He also has five goals and four assists so far this year. That commitment to the surrounding Creighton community has set Thayer apart and made him one of 10 athletes to win a 2008 Missouri Valley Conference Good Neighbor Award. We had a chance to catch up with Thayer to talk about the award and the upcoming conference tournament, which will be held in Evansville, Ind. on Nov. 12-16. The Jays, ranked first, begin play Friday.

What does winning the award mean to you?

“It is a great honor to be receiving this award and to be able to represent Creighton University. It is not the award that matters most to me, though it is very honorable, but what I have been able to learn from my services throughout the community.”

What types of volunteer work do you do?

“I have worked with Relay For Life, raked and cleaned yards for the elderly, picked up trash in parks, worked in the CU Med. Center (PICU- Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and NICU- Natal Intensive Care Unit), Habitat for Humanity, coached and played soccer with children less fortunate, donated blood, and participated in Campfire (an after school program that Johnny Torres introduced to me).”

What do your future plans entail (in terms of a career)?

“God willing, I would like to travel around the world for a year or so and then return to Nebraska and create a business that would help the surrounding community.”

Do you think it’s important for college students, especially athletes, to give back to their community?

“To tell the truth about the services that I have done, I have learned far more about people and about our community than I ever would have in school. From my services I have built relationships with nurses, talked with elders that have been through it all and played children that have had a far tougher life than I and they still have a smile on their faces. What I have done has not just affected the community, but me as well.”

With the MVC Tourney coming up, what’s the No. 1 focus for the team?

“To push one another to make our team the best it can be. Take no team for granted, for some of these teams this could be their last game of the year and they will challege us with everything that they have.”