COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Great Midwest Student-Athlete Advisory Committee gathered in Columbus along with conference staff for its annual summit.
The two-day summit started with a community engagement activity in conjunction with Columbus Recreation & Parks. On Friday, more than 20 Great Midwest SAAC members traveled to Willis Athletic Complex to spend time with youth campers. For two and a half hours, G-MAC SAAC members split into groups and participated in activity stations such as individual basketball drills, speed and agility stations, Ga-Ga ball, and speed ball.
“It’s awesome to be a role model for those kids. The number of kids that said I’m going to play college sports is awesome,” said Trent Maddox, Great Midwest SAAC Vice Chair and Ashland Student-Athlete. “To be able to share those experiences with them is so much fun.”
Friday evening ended in an open discussion with Andrew Onimus from
Minding Your Mind, a mental health education program whose mission is to provide education to teens and young adults, their parents, teachers and schools administrators. Minding Your Mind programs move away from crisis-based response to prevention through education. Andrew shared his story of hope as a two-sport student-athlete who struggled with depression and anxiety during his senior year of college. Andrew spoke with more than 20 Great Midwest Student-Athletes about how his teammates helped him take the first steps towards recovery and how they can be that hand for friends and fellow athletes on their campuses.
Saturday began with a presentation from NCAA Coordinator of Division II Haydyn Gibson, Jill Wilson from Double L Consulting
and Director of Athletics at Slippery Rock Roberta Page. Gibson, Wilson and Page spoke to the group about ways to get SAAC members more involved on their own campuses. During the presentation, members discussed and shared the triumphs and tribulations associated with SAAC groups on their own campuses. The SAAC also worked with each other on improving their elevator pitches.
“The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has been one of the greatest things I’ve done while I’ve been in college,” said Wiley Cain, Great Midwest SAAC Chair. “Being a voice for student-athletes, being a voice for change has been amazing. I’ve loved seeing change being made. It’s just an amazing feeling to say we made a difference for other student athletes who are going through the exact same thing that we are.”
The two-day summit ended with a business meeting where SAAC members discussed goals for the upcoming academic year. The meeting was led by Wiley Cain, National SAAC and Great Midwest SAAC Chair as well as Trent Maddox, Great Midwest SAAC Vice Chair. During the meeting, Ursuline volleyball student-athlete Hallie Rose was elected to serve as Social Media Chair for the 2022-23 year.
The Great Midwest SAAC meets five times a year, twice a semester via video conference and once each summer at an in-person summit.