WESTERN NEW ENGLAND UNIVERSITY

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Western New England College juniors Mike Jones (Stone Ridge, NY) and Erin Doherty (Westford, MA), and CHAMPS/Life Skills Coordinator Jenn Kolins attended the NCAA Division III Student-Athlete Leadership Conference Jan. 22-24 in New York City.

The conference focused on Division III legislative issues, CHAMPS/Life Skills initiatives, and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) leadership enhancement.

Top student-athlete leaders from the Northeast were hand selected to attend the sessions sponsored by the NCAA. Coaches and administrators were able to interface with officials from the NCAA to strategically develop enhanced programing for their campuses and brainstorm future initiatives for Division III as a whole.

Jones and Doherty were often at the forefront of conversation as SAAC leaders at both the campus and conference level.

"They represented Western New England College in a first class way and were positively recognized by representatives from the NCAA," said Kolins.

Jones, a member of the men's tennis squad, is a representative of SAAC at the College. He is a Sport Management major.

Doherty, a member of the women's lacrosse team, is the Community Service Representative for SAAC and also a conference representative. She is also a Sport Management major.

Both were recipients of the inaugural Richard DiRuzza Excellence in Leadership Award in the Spring of 2009.