SAAC STANDOUTS: Dax Billingsley, Rivier Baseball

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WINTHROP, Mass. – As we enter Thanksgiving and approach Thanksgiving break, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference has three remaining Student-Athlete Advisory Committee features, including today's Question & Answer with Rivier University junior baseball's Dax Billingsley, who will also get set to take over the GNAC Instagram account on Thursday, November 5.

The GNAC announced its SAAC Commissioner's Council for the 2020-21 academic year back in August, as each of the seven members were featured weekly with Wednesday Q&A Spotlights before GNAC Instagram Story Takeovers on Thursdays.

We now continue our Q&A and Instagram Takeovers with SAAC members from the GNAC's other six member institutions, with this weekly series set to run through November 18-19. For the complete weekly breakdown, please see below, and check out our Instagram Highlights for clips of past student-athlete takeovers! 

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. 

GNAC SAAC FEATURES
AUG. 26 | Anna Maria: Daniele Iaboni (Whitby, Ontario), men's soccer sophomore
SEPT. 2 | Dean: Zoe Coleman (Warwick, R.I.), field hockey/softball sophomore
SEPT. 9 | Emmanuel: Morgan Mercier (Lincolnville, Maine), men's soccer/men's lacrosse senior
SEPT. 16 | Johnson & Wales (RI): Andre Cotton-Samuel (Long Island, N.Y.), men's basketball sophomore
SEPT. 23 | Lasell: Alex Lorenzo (Pawtucket, R.I.), women's soccer sophomore
SEPT. 30 | Regis: Santiago Pedraza Novak (Bogota, Colombia), men's soccer sophomore
OCT. 7 | Saint Joseph (CT): Aminah Tsonga (Plainville, Conn.), women's volleyball senior
OCT. 14 | Albertus Magnus: Jessica Coughlin (Durham, Conn.), women's tennis senior
OCT. 21 | Colby-Sawyer: Dottie Lanctot (Sandown, N.H.), field hockey senior
OCT. 28 | Norwich: Isabella Leister (Hartland, Vt.), women's soccer senior
NOV. 4 | Rivier: Dax Billingsley (Lynn, Mass.), baseball junior
NOV. 11 | Saint Joseph's of Maine: Michael Mason (East Brodgewater, Mass.), cross country senior
NOV. 18 | Simmons: Abby Anderson (South Yarmouth, Mass.), field hockey senior

Dax Billingsley Q&A

Year: Junior

Hometown: Lynn, MA

Position: Right-handed pitcher

Major: Homeland & International Security

Why did you choose Rivier?: Small Class sizes and a family atmosphere within my team

High School: Lynn English HS

Top HS athletic memory: Playing against my best friend James in the conference golf tournament

Favorite Quarantine Activities: Puzzles and Video Games

Favorite Athletes: Clayton Kershaw & Tiger Woods

Favorite Movies: Captain America, Alien, Easy Rider

Favorite Music Artists: The Ramones, Johnny Cash, Seether

Favorite Foods: Corn Chowder & Baked Potatoes

Career Aspirations: Air Force Fire Protection

Fun Fact: Riding motorcycles is my favorite hobby

What do you hope to gain from the GNAC SAAC to bring back to your campus?:  I hope to give my campus a group of leaders from the SAAC. Our committee has several motivated and responsible people that set a very good examples for all student athletes.

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 –