GNAC National SAAC Rep Iaboni Named to D3 Management Council

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Photo Courtesy Anna Maria Athletics Communications

D3 MGMT COUNCIL ROSTER

Iaboni's term runs
through January 2024

WINTHROP, Mass. – Anna Maria College men's soccer junior Benedetto (Daniele) Iaboni has been chosen to serve on the prestigious NCAA Division III Management Council, as announced in Indianapolis at the 2022 NCAA Convention earlier this month. The Ontario, Canada native's term will run through January 2024. 

Iaboni has also served as the Great Northeast Athletic Conference's National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative since January 2021, a position he will also hold through January 2024. 

Longtime GNAC Commissioner Joe Walsh most recently served on the D3 Management Council from January 2017 through January 2021. 

The Division III Management Council is made up of 21 members and reports directly to the Presidents Council. It handles the implementation of policies adopted by the NCAA's Board of Governors and Division III Presidents Council, which has taken on additional meaning amidst the NCAA members' approval of the new constitution. 

"I am so very excited and honored to be the first-ever student-athlete from the GNAC to serve on the Management Council," said Iaboni. 

The Management Council consists of at least two CEOs, at least two FARs, two athletics direct reports, at least nine ADs or SWAs, conference representatives and student-athletes. It must include at least three ethnic minorities, at least eight men and at least eight women. There will be at least two representations from each geographical region. Two members of the Management Council shall be members of the Division III SAAC.

Under Division III's Partner-Conference SAAC pairing structure, Iaboni has worked as the primary rep in conjunction with the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) national SAAC rep as he now enters Management Council duties. 

"Congratulations to Daniele for being named to the NCAA Division III Management Council," Anna Maria Director of Athletic Joe Brady said in a statement. "This is an unbelievable opportunity for him to serve on the council and represent Anna Maria College and the GNAC. His time on the National SAAC over the past two years have prepared him well for this opportunity and we are proud to have a student-athlete from our campus on the Management Council."

Iaboni has also been an instrumental member of the GNAC SAAC Commissioner's Council in recent years. The young leader has participated in GNAC meetings and helped navigate the conference-wide SAAC's mental health initiatives, especially amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, along with other student-athlete programming such as race relations and financial literacy.

"I have every confidence that Daniele will be an asset to the national SAAC," said Commissioner Walsh a year ago, prior to Iaboni's D3 Management Council aspirations.

The national SAAC represents the student-athlete voice in the Division III governance structure by reviewing legislation, identifying significant student-athlete issues, implementing student-athlete based initiatives, encouraging community outreach, and enhancing D3 student-athlete involvement and understanding in general. The committee meets in-person four times a year and is primarily responsible for maintaining and coordinating the division's nationwide partnership with Special Olympics.

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 3,500 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 –