CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Bucknell junior softball student-athlete Halie Mariano has been selected as the Patriot League’s representative to the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), beginning her two-year term in the 2019-20 academic year.
The NCAA Division I SAAC is comprised of student-athletes, from each of the 32 Division I multisport conferences, who provide insight on the student-athlete experience and offer input on rules, regulations and policies that affect their lives on campus. The group’s mission is to enhance the total student-athlete experience by protecting the well-being, fostering a positive image and inclusive environment, and promoting engagement of student-athletes at the campus, conference, and national levels.
As a member of the NCAA SAAC, Mariano will help generate a student-athlete voice within the NCAA. The committee is responsible for soliciting student-athlete responses to proposed NCAA legislation and recommending potential legislation. She will serve in committee meetings and conference calls on behalf of the Patriot League.
“Halie will continue the tradition of strong Patriot League student-athlete representation on the national committee and serve with passion and excellence on behalf the League’s more than 5,200 student-athletes,” Patriot League Commissioner Jennifer Heppel said. “I very much look forward to working with Halie.”
Mariano, who served as the Bucknell SAAC Vice President in 2018-19, begins her term of service with the NCAA SAAC on June 1. At Bucknell, Mariano helped organize several campus initiatives during the 2018-19 academic year, including the collection of 272 shirts for the Union County Clothing and Food program for the Patriot League SAAC One Shirt One Body Challenge. She helped take in a donation of 75 toys for the Lewisburg Food Bank, and the creation and implementation of
Mindfulness March, which was a student-athlete led mental health awareness initiative including yoga, meditation, stress-reducing activities, and panel discussion on how to reduce the stigma of mental health on the Bucknell campus.
“Over the past two years, being a member of Bucknell’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has opened my eyes to the larger purpose of collegiate athletics and the voice I have as a student-athlete,” Mariano said. “Serving on the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will allow me to take that voice to a larger audience while simultaneously learning from other student-athletes and their institutions. This experience will allow me to grow and advocate for student-athletes in the best way possible at Bucknell and within the Patriot League.”
In addition to her role with the DI SAAC, Mariano will serve as the chair of the Patriot League SAAC and as an ex-officio student-athlete representative on the League’s Sport Management Committee for the next two academic years. With these League appointments, Mariano will ensure the student-athlete voice and perspective remains at the forefront of League-wide decisions that impact her fellow peers.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its third decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.