Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Information
MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois junior Brooke Stittleburg (Black River Falls, Wis./Black River Falls) has been selected as The Summit League representative to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Stittleburg, a left side hitter on the Fighting Leatherneck volleyball team, is one of just 31 student-athletes across the nation that were chosen to represent their respective athletic conferences on the national committee.
"I am very excited to be a part of the Division I SAAC," Stittleburg said. "I feel absolutely honored to be able to hold this position and be among such great company. I will do my very best to represent the best interests of The Summit League and all of the institutions that comprise it."
According to the NCAA, the Division I national SAAC consists of one student-athlete from each of the 31 Division I conferences. Members are selected by the Division I Management Council from a pool of three nominees from each of the represented conferences. Each student-athlete serves a two-year term and gets to offer input and assist in shaping proposed legislation by which the division is governed.
The Division I SAAC reports directly to the Division I Management Council, and two SAAC members participate in each meeting of the Management Council as non-voting members. The mission of the NCAA Division I SAAC is to enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting opportunity, protecting student-athlete welfare and fostering a positive student-athlete image.
"We are very proud of Brooke as she joins the NCAA Division I SAAC," said Director of Athletics Dr. Tim Van Alstine. "Brooke has been a model student-athlete for Western and the Leatherneck Volleyball program. We extend our congratulations to her and her family as this is a significant national appointment."
Stittleburg is a Biology and Medical Sciences major and is pursuing minors in Kinesiology and Psychology. She currently holds a 3.91 cumulative grade point average and serves as the President of Western Illinois' 2010-11 Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). In addition, Stittleburg was elected the Secretary for the Summit League's 2010-11 SAAC. She has also been involved in The Shaymus Relays, The Summit League's Food Fight Night and the Western We Care campus beautification project.
Stittleburg has volunteered her time through the Adopt-a-Street campaign and at Lincoln Elementary School. The junior is a member of both the Beta Beta Beta and Phi Eta Sigma honoraries. She was also selected by the NCAA to represent the Fighting Leathernecks at the 2011 NCAA Career in Sports Forum, which will take place from June 12-15 in Indianapolis.
"Brooke Stittleburg has accomplished a lot academically, athletically and in the community during her time at Western Illinois University and being selected to the highest student-athlete committee within the NCAA is quite an honor," said Assistant Director of Athletics-Academic Services/Senior Woman Administrator Lisa Melz. "Only 31 student athletes at a time are on this committee, so Brooke is in very select company. Knowing Brooke as I do, I know that she will not sit back and watch at her meetings, but that she will be an active participant in helping form the lives of current student-athletes and those that follow for years to come."
