Seattle University was once again represented by two of its most involved student-athletes at the Western Athletic Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (WAC SAAC) meetings earlier this summer, as Baxter Arguinchona (Spokane, Wash.) of the cross country and track and field teams and tennis player Kristen James (Lubbock, Texas) traveled to Utah to attend the sessions.
Arguinchona, the 2014-15 Seattle U SAAC president, was elected as 2015-16 president of the WAC SAAC, the first time a Redhawk student-athlete has filled one of the top posts within the conference’s organization. He will help lead the group’s community service initiative of “One Shirt, One Body”, which will focus on donating athletic apparel to local communities surrounding the WAC schools.
“We had several leadership workshops and discussed current issues and projects within the conference. I was lucky enough to be nominated for and elected president. I'm very grateful for the opportunity, and I look forward to increasing SU's involvement and recognition at the conference level,” said Arguinchona.
James, the Seattle U SAAC president for the upcoming 2015-16 academic year, attended her first WAC SAAC meeting. According to the WAC press release, the attendees broke into small working groups to discuss issues such as academic and athletic excellence initiatives, career and personal development opportunities, and community service projects.
"Attending the WAC SAAC conference was a remarkable experience. What impacted me the most was the way 18 student-athletes, from schools that compete against each other all year long, instantly united for the common goal of making the WAC better," remarked James.
Arguinchona and James also participated in the filming of the 2015-16 WAC public service announcement and other videos that will be featured on WACSports.com, the WAC Digital Network, and WAC social media. In addition, they took part in a leadership program based on the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum.
Seattle University is starting its fourth year as a member of the Western Athletic Conference. In the previous three years, the Redhawk athletics department has captured four team regular season, four team postseason, and nine individual conference championships.