Alma, MI – For Holly Hall, the Alma College Athletics Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) may not have been part of her original college plan. When the Armada, Michigan native arrived on campus, she was here to major in Integrative Physiology & Health Sciences and participate as a member of the Women's Tennis and Spirit Squad programs at Alma.
Hall, now a junior, has a full plate compared to when she first moved in. She serves as the Alma College SAAC President, a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) SAAC representative, and as the MIAA SAAC Vice President. She also serves as the MIAA representative on the NCAA Division III SAAC, where she is an Associate Member. Add in a split-season sport in tennis, an academic internship, and on campus jobs in the Marketing, Admissions, and Sports Information departments, and Hall finds herself balancing quite a workload.
SAAC exists to ensure that the student-athlete voice can be heard at every institution, every conference office, and the NCAA national office. In the campus setting the group puts on events for student-athletes, and aids in building a strong community within the athletics department. At Alma, SAAC holds bi-weekly meetings, and every team has at least two representatives. In recent years, some teams have elected to have more representatives, something that excites Holly as she heads into her first year as SAAC President.
Looking at how Hall got to where she is, the best place to start is how she landed in Scotland, USA. In other words, Why Alma? If you ask Hall, she'll tell you it was about opportunity and being comfortable where you're at. "I chose Alma because I had an opportunity to continue not only my academic career, but my athletic career, in an environment that I knew I would love." Hall had seen all kinds of scenery and ways of life, having bounced around the country growing up. By the time college rolled around, she had stops in Arizona, Texas, North Carolina, and Michigan. "I had experienced both big and small schools and wanted a smaller school experience. Knowing all of my peers, coaches, and instructors on a more personal level was important to me."
After making her choice, and moving in, Hall had barely been on campus for a week when she was first introduced to SAAC. "On literally the first day of classes my freshman year, I got a GroupMe message from my cheer coach at the time [Bre Ramos] asking who wanted to be a SAAC rep". Hall had been a part of a similar type of group in high school and guessed it would be roughly the same style of organization, just at the college level. She responded with interest, simply to throw her hat in the ring. "I didn't expect to get picked, just being a freshman and all, but I did. After I got picked, I knew I had to follow through with it." Hall made it a point to attend meetings, take notes, and report back to her team to get their feedback.
At the end of year one, it came time to apply for executive board positions. "At that time, I had really enjoyed what SAAC had to offer, [especially] the engagement with fellow student-athletes. It's fun to be with your teammates, but getting to engage with student-athletes beyond your particular sport was something that I found a lot of interest in." Through working with SAAC at Alma, Hall also discovered a passion for athletic administration, something that she now wants to pursue as a career post-graduation. She applied for the Plaid Posse Coordinator position, and was named to that post heading into her sophomore year.
Opportunities opened up quickly for Hall as a sophomore. An MIAA SAAC position opened, allowing her to begin gaining experience at the conference level. She was able to attend the NCAA Convention in January of 2024, and had interest in the soon-to-be vacant MIAA seat on Division III National SAAC. Several months later, Hall found herself named by the conference office to the seat as an Associate Member of DIII SAAC. She was able to attend the College Sports Communicators conference in July 2024, attending alongside the Scots administration team, and members of Division III, Division II, and Division I SAAC.
Her interest in MIAA SAAC was driven by one of the same ideas that peaked her interests originally. "The idea of getting to interact with student-athletes from institutions that are similar and yet not similar to Alma was really enticing." The relationship building aspect enabled by SAAC is far and away the favorite part of the process for Hall. "At the end of the day, it's really cool to be able to get to know other student-athletes that you might not otherwise get the chance to cross paths with on a regular basis."
Through two years, Assistant Vice President for Athletics Kiana Verdugo-Maday has seen the growth from Hall "Being a member of SAAC can have a profound impact on your life personally and professionally if you lean in and take advantage of every opportunity SAAC provides. Holly has taken advantage of every opportunity presented to her and it has allowed her to get outside of her comfort zone, travel, grow as a leader, and build her network. She has in turn brought back what she has learned to our campus SAAC to help create opportunities for her peers to do the same."
Hall's involvement has also aided her development as a member of the Scots tennis program, "Holly has not only improved on the court but has certainly found her voice off the court as well. She is always bringing good energy to practice every day, and her teammates look up to her. Having a student athlete bought into SAAC gets the team more involved in other areas outside of tennis and can bring a team closer from spending more time together in a less competitive environment." Said Head Tennis Coach Jared Guy.
The junior is ready to strengthen the opportunities that Alma can offer through its SAAC. "We're consistently looking for ways to improve the experience that SAAC can offer. We've seen it the last few years with our Scotty Awards, the new Jock Rock format, and our Tartan Turn-Up games." Hall also plans to use her positions on MIAA and NCAA SAAC to contribute to the Alma experience. "I really want to bring home Division III's core values. I want our student-athletes to be updated on legislation that's being voted on at the national level, and make sure that our voices and feedback are heard."
Above all else, Hall wants those on the outside to know that SAAC is worth putting in the effort. "I think so many people hear about it and think of it as a chore. Yes, it comes with responsibility, but the experience is more than worth the effort that it takes to buy in."
