GNAC Forms Official Conference-Wide SAAC With Executive Council

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Written by Annie Jenkins, GNAC Staff

GNAC SAAC to establish first
four-member Executive Council

WINTHROP, Mass. – Great Northeast Athletic Conference Commissioner Joe Walsh is pleased to announce the exciting formation of an official conference-wide Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), including the first-ever GNAC SAAC Executive Council, effective immediately for the upcoming 2018-19 academic year.

As the GNAC continues to emphasize the student-athlete experience and promote student-athlete success through its strategic planning efforts, the GNAC Presidents' Council voted in April 2018 to support the group's formation, as it was one of six strategic recommendations to come out of the GNAC's NCAA Conference Self-Study Guide (CSSG) Committee.

The first meeting this group will attend will be a community service event this fall, followed by the conference's annual Spring SAAC Leadership Forum in March 2019. 

The entire SAAC Council will consist of three student-athletes from each of the GNAC's 13 core member schools for a total of 39 delegates, which were selected by the leadership of his/her respective instituions. To ensure a smooth transiton for the GNAC SAAC Council from year to year, the delegates will consist of a mix of fall, winter, and spring student-athletes among sophomore, junior, and senior class standings with special consideration given to providing equitable opportunities between male and female sport representation.

The four student-athletes making up the GNAC SAAC Executive Council will also attend the NCAA Convention in January 2019 under the guidance of GNAC Assistant to the Commissioner Annie Jenkins.

For the inaugural year, the four-member Executive Council will be comprised of Albertus Magnus College junior Sabrina Pohlig (women's lacrosse/soccer), Regis (Mass.) senior Milik Wallace (men's basketball), Saint Joseph's College of Maine senior Marshall Berninghausen (men's outdoor track & field), and Simmons College junior Molly Hennessey (softball).

2018-19 GNAC Student-Athlete Advisory Commmittee

ALBERTUS MAGNUS: Ashley David, Sabrina Pohlig*, Jemaa Yuori
ANNA MARIA: Sabrina Carreira, Victoria Falco, Danielle Huston
COLBY-SAWYER: Ben Lewis, Bruin Smith, Joslin Wainwright
EMMANUEL: Carly Church, Sarah Hoisl, Morgan Mercier
JOHNSON & WALES (RI): Mikayla Arimura, Benjamin Farrell, Caroline Mettler
LASELL: Mackenzie Foley, Ben Lane, Samantha Taylor
NORWICH: Dylan Henderson, Alex MacPherson, Brandon Milburn
REGIS (MASS.): Abbie Cooke, Kiana Koke, Milik Wallace* 
RIVIER: Kayla Bednarz, Dashaun Graham, Josh L'Heureux
SAINT JOSEPH (CONN.): Abigail Horner, Brenna Miller, Megan Ricci
SAINT JOSEPH'S (MAINE): Lillian Bissett, Marshall Berninghausen*, Keenan Welzel
SIMMONS: McKinley Croteau, Molly Hennessey*, Cassie Vietas
SUFFOLK: Bridget Allison, Aine Dillon, Dorothy Mensah

* – member of GNAC SAAC Executive Council

Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement. 

– #TheGNAC –