DALLAS – Conference USA hosted its annual Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Meetings July 24-26 at the league office in Dallas. Representatives from all 12 institutions and Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) liaison
Dr. Gerald Kohers from Sam Houston participated in group discussions and deliberated on official SAAC business.
The discussions centered on important topics and current events affecting collegiate athletics, including mental health, community service and an initiative on academics and professional development titled “STUDENT-athlete”. The group hosted guest presenters on sports betting (IC360), NIL education (We Are NIL) and financial literacy (Truist Bank).
The group also voted on the executive board for the 2025-26 academic year, selecting Delaware’s
Claire Woods and
McKenzie Didio as chair and vice chair, respectively. Missouri State’s
Whitney Farrington was elected secretary.
Additionally,
CUSA presented the 2024-25 CUSA SAAC Cup to Kennesaw State. The award was given to the institution with the highest overall point total amongst the member schools. The areas of emphasis for the SAAC Cup include academic excellence, career development, financial literacy and community service.
| Rank |
School |
Total SAAC Cup Points |
| 1 |
Kennesaw State |
43 |
| 2 |
UTEP |
39 |
| 3 |
Jax State |
34 |
| 4 |
NM State |
33 |
CUSA SAAC representatives attending this year’s meetings included:
Claire Woods, Delaware Softball
McKenzie Didio, Delaware Lacrosse
Kendall Catherwood, FIU Softball
Ethan Riley, FIU Track & Field
Rudi Barnette, Jax State Track & Field
Karson Bonaparte, Jax State Baseball
Keira Hight, Kennesaw State Track & Field
Avery Mills, Liberty Women’s Basketball
Jaylin Belford, Liberty Football
Eli Finley, LA Tech Football
Kylee Trexler, LA Tech Bowling
Abbie Lee, MTSU Golf
Marcus Miller, MTSU Football
Whitney Farrington, Missouri State Track & Field
Cash Hudson, Missouri State Football
Sydnee Johnson, NM State Women’s Soccer
Leo Valenzuela, NM State Cross Country
Miya Greene, Sam Houston Bowling
Thomas Jewett, Sam Houston Football
Tyrone McDuffie, UTEP Football
Alexa Rangel, UTEP Track & Field
Callahan Wiegandt, WKU Volleyball
Eli Jones, WKU Football