Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team

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Student-Athlete Advisory Committee 9/27/2017 11:04:00 AM Lea Sobieraski Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

SAAC Members Attend APPLE Training Institute

AMHERST, N.Y. – Four members of the Daemen College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), along with staff members Mame Yaa Ankoma-Mensa and Michelle Copolo attended the APPLE Training Institute for Division II student-athletes and administrators this past weekend, September 22-24, in Reston, Virginia.

The APPLE Training Institute, developed and coordinated by the Gordie Center for Substance Abuse Prevention at the University of Virginia and funded by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), is the leading national substance abuse prevention and health promotion conference for student-athletes and athletic department administrators. The goal of the APPLE Training Institute is to assist colleges in applying the comprehensive APPLE model to their campus environment. Over the course of the weekend, student-athletes and administrators create an institution-specific action plan to prevent student-athlete substance abuse and promote health and wellness.

Student-athlete representatives from Daemen included men's basketball players Giambattista Davis and Andrew Sischo, and women's track and field athletes Rachel Roberson and Sam Carro.

Giambattista Davis, president of Daemen's SAAC, stated, "My experience at the Apple Training Institute was amazing. I was surprised by the magnitude of the events and how many Division II schools were there attending the conference. It was a great opportunity to share ideas and suggestions on how to improve each others' programs."

While at the conference, participants were guided by a team of experts in the field of substance abuse prevention who showed participants how to evaluate the ATOD (alcohol, tobacco, and other drug) environment within their athletic department and develop specific action plans to enhance prevention efforts.

"I really feel the APPLE program gives the student-athletes a voice in helping their athletic department grow," said Student-Athlete Success and Community Engagement Coordinator Mame Yaa Ankoma-Mensa.

Davis added, "I think that what we learned there as a group can be implemented here at Daemen, because they taught us how to create a reasonable action plan. We heard from other SAAC representatives from other schools on what strategies they've utilized to improve their programs."

SAAC is a group of student-athletes assembled to provide insight on the student-athlete experience and to help drive the community outreach efforts of Daemen Athletics.

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Players Mentioned

Giambattista Davis: Sophomore; Men's Basketball

Rachel Roberson: Sophomore; Women's Soccer/Track & Field

Players Mentioned

Giambattista Davis
: Sophomore; Men's Basketball

Rachel Roberson
: Sophomore; Women's Soccer/Track & Field