Emily Peters
eep004@marietta.edu
The second annual Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Pio Awards Ceremony will be held on Saturday Nov. 11 in the Gathering Place from 5-7 p.m.
The event, called “The Pios,” is an award ceremony presented by the SAAC representatives and the idea was first brought up at a SAAC meeting last year.
“There are other SAACs within our conference who hold similar award ceremonies. We decided last year to incorporate our own which gives all of the teams a chance to get together and mingle,” said faculty advisor Wendy Thieman.
All student-athletes, and their guests, are invited to attend the ceremony. The hope is that everyone will attend the last home football game against the Otterbein Cardinals then head over to the Gathering Place for the presentation of the awards.
The awards are based on the 2016-2017 athletic seasons. The awards that will be presented include Male/Female Most Valuable Player, Male/Female Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Team, and Team of the Year.
“Each team may nominate one person/team for each category. The coaches then will receive each team’s nomination and will then vote for the final winner,” Thieman said.
SAAC is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sanctioned committee and there are SAACs at the campus, conference, and national levels.
“The mission of the National Student-Athlete Advisory Committees is to enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting opportunity, protecting student-athlete welfare and fostering a positive student-athlete image,” according to the NCAA website.
Campus level SAACs have many different functions. One of the functions that Marietta College’s committee is carrying out through “The Pios” awards event is that of building a sense of community with all sports teams on campus.
MC’s SAAC meets every other Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. in the Trustee’s Conference room in the Dyson-Baudo Recreation Center.
