MANSFIELD, Mass. – The Northeast 10 Conference is proud to introduce, for the first time in its history, the NE10 Student Athlete Advisory Council – consisting of five student-athletes voted on by their peers to serve as officers for the 2018-19 school year.
The SAAC Council, an appointed group with consistent membership that includes terms lengths and selection criteria, is made up of Southern New Hampshire’s Marisa McLaughin as Female Co-Chair, New Haven’s Dylon Grzenda as Male Co-Chair, Southern Connecticut’s Kelli McCombs as Female Vice Co-Chair, Stonehill’s James Varney as Male Vice Co-Chair and Pace’s Annie Carberry as Secretary.
“We are thrilled that the NE10 SAAC has elected a slate of leaders for the first time. This step is a critical one in the enhancement of the student-athlete voice in the NE10,” said Julie Ruppert, NE10 Commissioner. “As they work alongside their peers on the Conference SAAC, we have high hopes for what this talented group will be able to accomplish as they address NE10 student-athlete centric issues.”
Each of the NE10’s 15 member institutions nominated two student-athletes – one male and one female from different class years and sport seasons – to serve on the council until their undergraduate career is complete. The SAAC membership consists of 30 student-athletes.
Once the membership was complete, the student-athletes nominated and elected officers for the 2018-19 season. McLaughin, Grzenda, McCombs, Varney, and Carberry make up the first class of officers for the NE10 SAAC.
“Our summit in June reaffirmed what we have known for a long time, that the NE10 has the finest student-athlete leaders in DII and we are looking forward to watching them get fully engaged this year,” said Ruppert.
SAAC Officers
Marisa McLaughlin (New Milford, Conn. – English Literature and Secondary Education)
Dylon Grzenda (North Attleboro, Mass. – Biology/Premedical)
Kelli McCombs (Bristow, Va. – Sport Management)
James Varney (Smithfield, Me. - International Business)
Annie Carberry (Colorado Springs, Col. – Business Management)
SAAC Members
Adelphi – Mike Demarest
Adelphi – Victoria Major
AIC – Matthew Costanza
AIC – Alice Calabrese
Assumption – Samantha Tepper
Assumption – Joe Baron
Bentley – Samantha D’Aquila
Bentley – Timothy Fay
Franklin Pierce – Abigail Garnhart
Franklin Pierce – Luke Tracy
Le Moyne – Riley Wilde
Le Moyne – Dominick Battaglia
Merrimack – JJ Smith
Merrimack – Rosie Sperduto
New Haven – Dylon Grzenda
New Haven – Nicole Calabrese
Pace – Austin Gilbertson
Pace – Annie Carberry
Saint Anselm – Jacob Rostkowski
Saint Anselm – Sarah Messler
Saint Michael’s – Annie Martin
Saint Michael’s – Daniel Fortier
Saint Rose – Karissa Birthwright
Saint Rose – Jeremy Pariseau
SCSU – Dominic Papiro
SCSU – Kelli McCombs
SNHU – Marisa McLaughin
SNHU – Chaney Nash-Gibney
Stonehill – James Varney
Stonehill – Sinead O’Brien
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)
A student-athlete advisory committee (SAAC) is a committee made up of student-athletes assembled to provide insight on the student-athlete experience. The SAAC also offers input on the rules, regulations and polices that affect student-athletes' lives on NCAA member institution campuses. Presently, there are separate national SAACs for NCAA Divisions I, II and III. NCAA legislation mandates that all member institutions have SAACs on their respective campuses. Further, NCAA legislation requires that all member conferences have SAACs.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.