Soccer?s Caroline Flynn Voted SAAC President

Randy York’s N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst and Husker Football Coach Mike Riley addressed NU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) last week before the organization voted on a new slate of officers who will lead more than 600 Husker student-athletes in 2015-16. Soccer’s Caroline Flynn, a junior communications study major from Lincoln, was voted SAAC president. Swimming & Diving’s Jacqueline Juffer, a junior economics major from Wagner, S.D., was voted vice-president. Track & Field’s Cody Rush, a junior nutrition science major from Grand Island, Neb., was named SAAC’s Big Ten Conference representative, and softball’s Lotte Sjulin, a sophomore pre-health major from Omaha, was voted secretary.

“The new officer group combines veteran leadership from Jacqueline and Lotte with energetic and well-respected newcomers in Caroline and Cody,” said Nebraska Life Skills Associate Athletic Director Keith Zimmer, the longtime administrator who oversees the SAAC, which was implemented in 1987 to ensure that student-athletes have a voice regarding their total student-athlete experience. SAAC is a recognized student organization at UNL and consists of at least one team appointed representative from each of Nebraska’s 24 intercollegiate teams. “I’m confident that this leadership group will build upon the success and the momentum established by the entire 2014-2015 SAAC team,” Zimmer said.

Eichorst commended outgoing officers, including softball’s Mattie Fowler, wrestling’s Ian Ousley and swimming & diving’s Alexandra Bilunas, for a job well done while establishing the foundation for SAAC to continue to be one of the most respected student organizations on campus. Because of that influence over the past year, Eichorst integrated SAAC with Nebraska Athletics’ Senior Management Team, recognizing and reinforcing the talented SAAC group as the “heart and soul of our entire student-athlete population.”

2015-16 SAAC Officer Team: Flynn, Juffer, Rush, Sjulin

I asked all four new SAAC officers to share their thoughts about leading their fellow student-athletes over the next year, and here’s a sampling from each:

President Caroline Flynn: “I’m extremely honored to have been elected to serve and represent the student athletes in the up-coming year. Before the elections took place, we were fortunate to listen to Shawn Eichorst and Mike Riley speak to our organization. One thing Coach Riley said that really resonated with my vision as president was the fact that our organization not only gives us the opportunity to present ideas that we have for the future, but also the opportunity to see them put into place. I can proudly say that joining SAAC has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in my college career. There is no better way to influence the experiences of our current and future Husker teammates than to join SAAC and have a role in creating the ultimate student-athlete experience.

“My strong passion for the current and future student-athletes here at Nebraska will drive me to work hard and dedicate my time to bettering this organization now, and in the future,” Flynn said. “Through SAAC, we’re provided an opportunity to serve and represent our University in a powerful way. It’s my intention to spread this awareness to all Husker athletes, while maintaining and bolstering our positive culture within SAAC to attract more members. Each position within our organization holds a unique opportunity to influence our fellow student-athletes, and I am extremely excited to work with each member, as well as work with our newly elected officers. It’s an honor and a privilege to serve my fellow student-athletes and the University of Nebraska, and I could not be more excited about the future for this organization.” 

Vice President Jacqueline Juffer (pictured above): "It was an exciting meeting when SAAC elected our 2015-2016 officer positions. Candidates were asked many critical questions and what made it so extraordinary was the necessity to re-vote due to ties. To me, that reflects the quality of the candidates as well as the commitment that all SAAC members have to the importance of their representation. I’m excited to serve as the vice president for 2015-2016 after the great experience I had this past year as the Big Ten Representative. I’m eager to apply my previous experiences and knowledge going forward in this new role. I’m also incredibly grateful for the leadership and knowledge that Mattie and Ian provided to me this year and how they’ve each helped me grow and develop as a leader. They will truly be missed after helping take SAAC to the next level. They definitely set the bar high for this officer team.

“The ideas that Caroline, Cody, Lotte, and I will bring to the table will continue the tradition of advancing SAAC,” Juffer said. “Our goal is to do more for student-athlete welfare. We will work with the Big Ten on NCAA legislation and collaborate with other Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) on campus more than ever before. SAAC has been so successful in the past because any member has the ability to change something about the student-athlete experience. From our speeches and statements, I believe our core goal this year is simply to help facilitate all the passion other members hold, and turn that passion into impact. I’m confident in the leadership elected last night and excited about what we can do together. It’s a great time to be a college athlete, especially at Nebraska. Every day, I’m flooded with feeling blessed and honored to be a Husker, and now get to serve others as vice president of SAAC.”

Big Ten Representative Cody Rush: (pictured above): "One of the biggest reasons why I’m excited to serve as the Big Ten Representative is because there is no better time to be involved with the behind-the-scenes work of college athletics. This past year, there has been monumental changes to the collegiate athletic landscape, making this a very exciting time to be a student-athlete, and I can’t wait to be a part of that process. There’s so many possibilities to improve the student-athlete experience and that’s what I look forward to most, making an impact on something that will positively impact my peers. It’s an incredible thrill to represent Nebraska student-athletes and uphold our core values throughout any issue or discussion. Hopefully, working together, we can show everyone that there truly is no place like Nebraska.”

Secretary Lotte Sjulin (01 pictured above): “I feel honored to be elected to the 2015-2016 officer team. Last year was my first year on the officer team, and it was a great opportunity for me to learn more about SAAC and our mission as well as our goals. This is a great group of people who are all service-oriented and willing to help move things forward. I am very enthusiastic about the upcoming year and the opportunities that we all have to enhance the student-athlete experience and to have a say at the Big Ten level. I want to use the role of secretary not only to organize the meeting minutes but also to reflect a wealth of ideas for our group. I want to continue with this group for the remainder of my time here and am very thankful for the opportunities that SAAC has given me.”

Send a comment to ryork@huskers.com (Please include city, state)

Follow Randy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RandyYorkNsider

Randy’s N-Sider Blog Archive

Randy’s N-Sider Column Archive