CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington senior Rhiannon Davies has been named the Co-President for Big Sky Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and will serve as the conferences' representative to the NCAA Division I SAAC. Earlier this summer, Davis was elected as the EWU SAAC president for the upcoming academic year. 

The Big Sky announced its SAAC members earlier this month, with Davis sharing the leadership role with Northern Arizona's Audrey Taylor. Taylor is on the Lumberjacks' women's basketball team. 

"I submitted an application, and they chose me for the position of Big Sky Co-President where I focus on the D-1 National SAAC information," Davies said. "I communicate with the D-1 SAAC National group, our conference and our university, so I am a landline of communication"

Davies talked about why she chose to pursue the SAAC presidency at Eastern originally, "What drove me to apply for the presidency was the need to continue what Grace Terrill and the rest of our SAAC executive board started this past year. Since I joined SAAC two years ago, I have seen us make progress in our community presence and form our culture around the student-athlete experience. It's up to the rest of us to continue the traditions we began and implement new ones. Being president gives me the opportunity to do just that."

Davies is going into her senior year and competes for both the cross country and track teams. She has primarily competed in the 800m and 4x400m in the indoor and outdoor track seasons.

Davies talked about the balance with school, being an athlete, and now her position with the Big Sky and the Universities' SAAC executive board. "You know it is a lot of work. I am really excited for this year, but the support around me is momentous and that makes it all worth it and to see the progress that is happening within the NCAA right now, it is amazing to be a part of it."

Each spring, select SAAC representatives are invited to attend the Big Sky Conference spring meetings, where they take part in a community service project, and meet with administrators to discuss national and Big Sky legislation. 

"Each program with their representatives at the meeting had a lot of discussions on how our campuses had similar strengths and weaknesses. We are all very supportive of each other within our academics and communities and we want each other to succeed," Davies said. "Everyone is so amazing to work with. I could not put together a better group to work with between all of our universities in this conference. I can tell how committed we all are to making a change for athletes in the NCAA."

With the new officers in place, Davies has a clear vision for what she wants to accomplish in the upcoming academic year, "Our main focus is going to be streamline communication within the university, the Big Sky, and the NCAA. We want to touch as many points of campus as we can and create cohesiveness between students, faculty and athletes. This will include working with the Diversity Equity and Inclusion office, while encouraging Eagle pride in athletics and the classroom. We want our athlete's voices to extend outside of campus. As president, my goal is to have our athletes share their ideas with other universities. This will allow us to learn from our athletic competitors to enhance the student-athlete experience."

About EWU SAAC 
The Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) at Eastern Washington University exists to create a safe environment for discussion of all aspects of the student-athlete's life. We strive to better our community with community service, event organization, and leadership. As leaders we hope to promote open communication between student-athletes, students, and staff.

About DI SAAC
The mission of DI SAAC is to enhance the student-athlete experience by protecting their well-being, fostering a positive image and inclusive environment, while promoting student-athlete engagement at the national, conference and campus level. The DI SAAC members consist of 32 national representatives, with one student-athlete from each conference.
 

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ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.

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