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Student-athlete leaders from all of the Pacific West Conference's 14 schools met in August at èßäÉçÇø for meetings, activities, and community service.

The 17th annual PacWest SAAC Retreat brought together two dozen student-athletes for fellowship, fun, learning opportunities, and hard work. Dominican was this summer's host, and community service activities were held in the San Rafael area. SAAC is short for Student Athlete Advisory Committee.

"This year's SAAC retreat provided an amazing platform to collaborate with like-minded leaders from across the conference," said 2024-25 SAAC President Tucker Pellicci, a basketball player at Hawaii Pacific. "We exchanged ideas on how we can continue to enhance the student-athlete experience. The passion and dedication brought by everyone was truly inspiring, and I look forward to bringing these concepts back to my campus and PacWest SAAC."

The three days (Aug. 5-7) were packed with meetings and activities.

Day 1 - Following a welcome from Dominican President Dr. Nicola Pitchford, the students held a series of meetings at which they heard individual campus updates and discussed ideas for 2024-25  and beyond. The students also engaged with SAAC advisors and Dominican administrators during a professional development roundtable.

Day 2 - The day began with a LinkedIn presentation by Dominican's Courtney Budesa and Giulia Welch. Then the students worked at nearby McInnis Park to help remove an invasive species of plant to help the Ridgway Rail bird thrive. Students engaged in a teambuilding/recreational activity, paddling down the Petaluma River in tandem kayaks with their partners. They also made fleece tie blankets for the Project Linus, which works with children who are ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need.

Day 3 - The students planned for the upcoming year, including setting meeting dates, communication strategies and electing the SAAC Executive Board. A new position, Professional Development Director, will help promote the LinkedIn PacWest Conference Alumni group and further spotlight the PacWest student-athletes.

"The 2024 PacWest SAAC Retreat was an incredibly rewarding experience for everyone involved," said PacWest Associate Commissioner and Senior Woman Administrator Piper Brewster. "The student-athletes were able to fine tune their leadership skills and share ideas for the upcoming year. It's truly inspiring to see how dedicated our SAAC student-athletes are to both community engagement and elevating the student-athlete experience within the PacWest. I am extremely excited to continue working with them this year. Their hard work and intitiative is what continues to elevate the PacWest conference."