INDIANAPOLIS - The UT Rio Grande Valley Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) recently won the Division I National SAAC Video Contest with a video answering the question "What is SAAC?"
The NCAA Division I SAAC invited all 351 NCAA Division I campus SAACs to participate in a video contest in an effort to help people understand what SAAC is. As part of winning, UTRGV earns an award of $2,000 to be used to support campus SAAC operations and activities.
To view UTRGV's submission, click on the image above.
"We put together some individual ideas from our members along with the major theme which was inspired by UTRGV's hashtag #WeAre," said Barbara Krug, a volleyball player and SAAC Executive Board Member. "It is always great when everybody is engaged and knows how to get things done and have fun at the same time. Winning helps build UTRGV SAAC's image towards the school and nationwide. The schools that participated had the chance to see our face and what we represent."
Every NCAA institution and conference has a SAAC. There is also a national SAAC for each of the three NCAA divisions. Members of the UTRGV SAAC have the opportunity to address issues affecting student-athletes at UTRGV, in the WAC and in NCAA Division I. Through the grass-roots efforts of the UTRGV SAAC communicating with the WAC SAAC, and the WAC SAAC communicating with the NCAA DI SAAC, UTRGV student-athletes have the opportunity to change the face of intercollegiate athletics.
"Winning this contest means a lot to us because we were up against some pretty big schools," said Mike Hoffman, a men's basketball player at UTRGV and a member of the UTRGV SAAC. "To come out on top against schools like that is almost like an upset. It feels awesome to have our hard work over the past month rewarded, especially in this way."