GETTING TO KNOW: Daniele Iaboni, Anna Maria Men's Soccer
Every week throughout the end of September, we will feature each member of the 2020-21 GNAC SAAC Commissioner's Council.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WINTHROP, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference recently announced its Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Commissioner's Council for the 2020-21 academic year.
The group is comprised of Anna Maria College men's soccer sophomore Benedetto Iaboni (Whitby, Ontario); Dean College field hockey/softball sophomore Zoe Coleman (Warwick, R.I.); Emmanuel College men's soccer/men's lacrosse senior Morgan Mercier (Lincolnville, Maine), who is also the GNAC's Division III national SAAC representative; Johnson & Wales University (RI) men's basketball sophomore Andre Cotton-Samuel (Long Island, N.Y.); Lasell University women's soccer sophomore Alex Lorenzo (Pawtucket, R.I.); Regis College men's soccer sophomore Santiago Pedraza Novak (Bogota, Colombia); and University of Saint Joseph (CT) women's volleyball senior Aminah Tsonga (Plainville, Conn.).
The support and formal creation of a revamped league-wide GNAC SAAC initiative came in April 2018 as a strategic recommendation from the Conference Self-Study Guide (CSSG) Committee and GNAC Presidents' Council. The SAAC Commissioner's Council will work directly with GNAC Assistant to the Commissioner Julio Barroso, with the strategic goal of emphasizing the student-athletic experience, as well as the key focus of student-athlete mental health in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Benedetto (Daniele) Iaboni, Anna Maria Men's Soccer
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Whitby, Ontario
Position: Defense
Major: Business and Digital Marketing
Why did you choose Anna Maria?: The opportunity to study abroad and play the sport I love in a religious community
High School: Father Leo J. Austin CSS
Top HS athletic memory: Charity Dodgeball Tournament
Favorite Quarantine Activity: Working out and playing video games
Favorite Athlete(s): Ciro Immobile, Carey Price, and Fred VanVleet
Favorite Movie(s): The Breakfast Club, The Greatest Showman, The Avengers
Favorite Music Artist(s): Camila Cabello, Drake
Favorite Food: Lasagna
Career Aspirations: Front office management in the NBA
Personal: My family is of Italian heritage and my brother is an amazing singer
What do you hope to gain out of being a member of the GNAC SAAC Commissioner's Council?
I hope to gain management and organizational qualities that will help me in my future.
What do you hope to bring back to your campus?
I hope to use what I learn at a conference level to help increase the presence of student-athletes in the Anna Maria community.
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. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
– #TheGNAC –