DALLAS – Conference USA hosted its annual Student-Athlete Advocacy Committee (SAAC) Meetings July 23-25 at the league office in Dallas. Representatives from all 10 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 a new initiative aimed at educating student-athletes on programming updates and rule changes that impact their participation and experience. The group hosted guest presenters on topics including professional development (
Will Baggett), student-athlete well-being (WalkOnNation) and financial literacy (Chase Bank).
The group also voted on the executive board for the 2026-27 academic year, selecting Kennesaw State’s
Ava Holtz as chair, Delaware’s
Ava Borriello as vice chair and New Mexico State’s
Riley Crespo was elected secretary.
Additionally, CUSA presented the 2025-26 CUSA SAAC Cup to FIU. 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 |
FIU |
52 |
| 2 |
WKU |
50 |
| 3 |
UTEP |
46 |
CUSA SAAC representatives attending this year’s meetings included:
Lange Gaspar, Delaware Men’s Lacrosse
Ava Borriello, Delaware Dance
Jillian Huckabey, FIU Volleyball
Marc Hersh, FIU Baseball
Amanda Will, Jax State Women’s Soccer
Drew Cook, Jax State Men’s Cross Country
Trey Geter, Kennesaw State Men’s Track & Field
Ava Holtz, Kennesaw State Volleyball
Benjamin Sparks, Liberty Men’s Tennis
Emmy Stout, Liberty Women’s Basketball
Connor Dougherty, MTSU Football
Gracie Hamby, MTSU Women’s Basketball
Maddie Schrandt, Missouri State Beach Volleyball
Stewart McDonald, Missouri State Football
Nick Session, NM State Football
Riley Crespo, NM State Women’s Swimming & Diving
Miya Greene, Sam Houston Bowling
Bella Perez, Sam Houston Softball
Amanda Simpson, WKU Women’s Soccer
Reed Richey, WKU Men’s Golf