BOSTON, Mass. – Simmons University's Lauren Krupnikoff represented the Sharks and the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) on the national stage last week at the NCAA Convention in Washington D.C. The dual-sport athlete, who serves as a National SAAC representative for the GNAC, returned with fresh insights and a major new appointment to the NCAA DIII Championships subcommittee. Read about her experience in the Q&A below.

How did this opportunity come about? How were you chosen to represent the GNAC and Simmons on the national stage?
At the end of last school year (my sophomore year), I was selected by Simmons to be our next representative on the GNAC Commissioner's Council. From there, a few people were selected by the GNAC Commissioner/administration to apply to be the next DIII National SAAC representative for our conference (since our previous representative had just finished her term). I sent in my application to the NCAA, where it was reviewed by the DIII Nominations Committee and DIII National SAAC. After reviewing the GNAC applicants, these two committees chose me as the next GNAC representative for DIII National SAAC.

What's been the most surprising or eye-opening part of the convention so far?
Seeing that every institution gets a vote in the legislation, reinforcing the united front of DIII and that each institution/conference's voice is equal in value.

From your perspective, why is it important for student-athletes to be involved with SAAC?
As a student-athlete, if you want to advocate for your peers and have a direct impact on matters affecting athletics, it's important to be involved with SAAC, either at the institution, conference, or national level. Being on National SAAC, I have had a direct impact and voice in national affairs and legislation that is directly impacting the experience of student-athletes. In the DIII Issues Forum this week, I similarly said the following statement in front of 1200 people spanning from NCAA DIII employees, national committee members, administrators, and institution representatives:

"As the three divisions feel to drift a part, with the increase of concerns in NIL, lawsuits, and eligibility in the nationally recognized areas of DI, threatening to change the amateur identity of NCAA, more than ever before, it is now important that we understand how to protect and preserve the beauty of DIII Athletics and the integrity of the DIII student-athlete experience."

The convention brings together all levels: DI, DII, and DIII. What has it been like interacting with student-athletes and leaders from those massive programs? Did you find that Simmons and the GNAC share the same challenges, or are we totally different? 
With NCAA DIII SAAC, we had the opportunity to have a cross-divisional luncheon discussion in small groups. I had the ability to talk with some national representatives from DI and DII, in addition to DIII, including major conference representatives like the Big East. From both my role on National SAAC and my pursuit of a career in Sport Business, I have a depth of knowledge about certain concepts, legislation, and litigation occurring on the national level for DI. I was able to have great conversations, providing my ideas and input, on some of these significant matters occurring in college sports. Surprisingly, one of the key differences we discovered between the division SAACs, is that typically DIII SAAC (both nationally and institutionally) have a stronger voice and role within governance than DI. We additionally found that we all share similar challenges of resource management across all three division institutions.  

What does a typical day look like for you at the convention? (Is it all meetings, or is there some fun stuff mixed in?)
My favorite part about convention was that everyday was entirely different! Some days had a heavier concentration of meetings (typically around 8-10 hours worth, with meals in between sessions), and some days were more event-focused (i.e. the Special Olympics Event). Some of our key guest speakers in DIII National SAAC meetings were Charlie Baker (NCAA President), Tim Buckley (NCAA Vice President of External Affairs), and Louise McLeary (NCAA Vice President of DIII). Regardless of mixture, there was certainly an emphasis on balancing business meetings and having time to meet new people and have some fun. National SAAC even hosted a DIII Student-Athlete Mixer one of the nights to encourage meeting student-athletes from other conferences in a fun event (we did a wide-spread lip sync battle)!

What's the biggest thing you've learned that you want to bring back to our SAAC at Simmons?
As the national rep and Simmons president, I want to bring new ideas about community engagement back to our SAAC: ideas of how to engage with our local SAACs, an initiative I started this fall, new volunteering ideas with Special Olympics, and fundraising initiatives to increase resources for our student-athletes.

For any other Sharks who want to get involved in leadership like this, what's your best piece of advice?
Say yes to new opportunities. You never know what saying yes may lead to for higher positions or what connections you may be able to make from new experiences. Having an open mindset and proactive attitude is crucial in creating your own success!

Additionally, Krupnikoff has been appointed as the new National SAAC representative to the NCAA DIII Championships subcommittee and will be back at the NCAA Headquarters in a few weeks.