INDIANAPOLIS – After taking command of the huddle in the fall, a new leadership role awaits Kentucky Wesleyan’s Wiley Cain after being selected as the new Great Midwest Athletic Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) President by NCAA Division II.
Cain, a freshman quarterback from the Panthers’ football program, has been named as a National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) member for NCAA Division II.
Cain will represent the 13 member institutions of the Great Midwest with a three-year term that is effective immediately and runs through the conclusion of the January 2023 NCAA Convention.
“I am really thankful to have been selected for this position and be given the opportunity to be a representative for my peers,” commented Cain. “I have the utmost respect for every student-athlete because I know what it takes, and what to do in order to be where we are. I’m looking forward to working with the other representatives (from Division II) to continue to advocate for the student-athlete experience and hopefully make some lasting positive progress.”
Currently the Vice President of the Kentucky Wesleyan SAAC, the Eubank, Ky., native is heavily involved on campus. He is an active member of the Campus Ministries Mile 2 team, a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) intern, President and founder of Harry Potter club as well as a member of the Honors College.
SAAC serves as the primary governance arm representing student-athlete interests in Division II affairs. SAAC members also serve as student-athlete liaisons that monitor and discuss happenings on campuses, within conferences and at the national level.
Representatives are responsible for gathering feedback and reporting on behalf of their conference at the NCAA Convention, as well as relaying important events, hot topics and educational information to both the campus and conference levels. The committee speaks on behalf of the entire Division II student-athlete body throughout the NCAA governance structure.
The committee is comprised of 28 members including representatives from each of the 23 Division II conferences, one representative of Division II independent institutions, two at-large representatives and two members of the Management Council.
Cain’s predecessor is University of Findlay softball student-athlete Lauren Yacks, who completed her term as the league’s third conference national representative. He is also the first male president in the near eight-year history of the Great Midwest following in the footsteps of Laura Farleman (Cedarville), Jes Hicks (Ursuline) and most recently, Yacks.
Cain, from Pulaski County High School, earned honorable mention all-conference status in his first full year as a starter for the Panthers. His completion percentage of .570 in 2019 is already a top 10 season mark in conference history and he helped lead Kentucky Wesleyan to the program’s first Great Midwest Founders Cup game win in the series rivalry vs. Alderson Broaddus
Cain threw for three touchdowns against Lake Erie and had a season-high 362 passing yards against Walsh. His 30+ completions vs. both Findlay and Walsh are both top 10 single-game marks in the Great Midwest record books.