On Tuesday, the NCAA Division II Management Council appointed St. Thomas Aquinas College's Jack Nicholson as the new East Coast Conference representative to the NCAA Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Jack becomes the first Spartan student-athlete ever selected to this national committee. In addition to his duties with the NCAA, Nicholson will serve as the Chair of the ECC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, assisting the conference with a wide variety of student-athlete initiatives.
Nicholson, a sophomore goalkeeper for the Spartan Men's Soccer team, went 7-4-4 with a 2.05 goals against average and had 2 shutouts, while leading STAC to its first postseason appearance since 2011.
"After receiving some very strong nominations for the ECC National SAAC representative from our member institutions, we are excited with Jack’s selection by the NCAA and look forward to having the opportunity to work with him over the next few years in this role," said ECC Commissioner, Dr. Robert Dranoff. "In our conversations, Jack sounds committed to making a difference on the conference and national committees and we will be working hard to provide him the support to make that happen."
When asked about his appointment, Nicholson commented, "It's a real honor for me to not only represent St Thomas Aquinas college, but also the East Coast Conference, on the NCAA national SAAC committee. I'm looking forward to working and meeting with this group and being able to voice the ideas and concerns from the SAAC committees within our conference."
St. Thomas Aquinas Athletic Director, Gerry Oswald, also stated, "STAC is very pleased to have Jack representing the ECC as our NCAA DII National SAAC representative. He is a quality young man, student, and team member. This is a great opportunity for Jack and we are confident he will make the most of it. He is ready to contribute and will interact with his fellow student-athletes from the ECC and those from around the country."