Soren Frantz / Photo Editor

The Division III National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) now has an Owl as one of its members.

Junior lacrosse player Paxton Blanchard received the news of his selection into the committee on October 23, 2019. Blanchard has been a member of the Keene State SAAC since his first-year year and has been involved in various actions during his time as a member.

To name just a few of Blanchard’s actions during his three years: he is a regular volunteer at the Special Olympics of New Hampshire State Bowling Tournament and aids in the creation of ideas for KSC’s Greeks vs. Athletes Olympics. Blanchard also trades in the lacrosse stick for a basketball every once and a while and becomes a coach, alongside fellow Keene SAAC members, for Keene Parks and Recreation K-1 Youth Basketball Program.

Blanchard is one of the 25 selected members in the entirety of all NCAA Division III colleges and universities.

“I was completely blown away and humbled,” said Blanchard when asked about his reaction to finding out the good news. “[Being selected] is not only a huge accomplishment for myself but also for Keene State College, as it is putting us on the map.”

Keene State College’s Director of Athletics and Recreation Phil Racicot commented on the importance of Blanchard’s selection in an article on keeneowls.com titled “Paxton Blanchard selected for National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.”

“Paxton’s selection to the NCAA’s National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is a prestigious honor for him and for Keene State College,” said Racicot. “He has been an instrumental part of our very active and engaged campus SAAC and we look forward to having him serve KSC, the LEC and our partner conference the MASCAC on the national level.”

The National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee offers all sorts of new opportunities for Blanchard to take part in.

The committee is responsible for representing all NCAA Division III student-athletes and they meet in person four times a year.

The functions of the NSAAC, according to NCAA.org, are to “generate a student-athlete’s voice within the NCAA structure, solicit student-athlete response to proposed NCAA legislation, recommend potential NCAA legislation, review, react and comment to the governance structure on legislation, activities and subjects of interest, actively participate in the administrative process of athletic programs and the NCAA and promote a positive student-athlete image.”

“I’m looking forward to meeting all of the other student-athletes who are on the NSAAC and learning from them as well as sharing my opinions to help make the NCAA even better for student-athletes than it already is,” said Blanchard.

The first in-person committee meeting Blanchard will be attending is this coming January.

Claire Boughton can be contacted

at cboughton@kscequinox.com

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Claire Boughton

Hello! My name is Claire Boughton. I have worked with the Equinox for a little over two years and have held the position of the Senior Sports Reporter and now the Sports Editor. I am from West Simsbury, Connecticut, and live with my mom and dad. I have an older brother named Grant who is currently living in Albany, New York, but plans to move to New York City in a few months (because a global pandemic didn’t seem to scare him away from city-life). I have two cats named Stella and Luna, a dog named Sage and a fish named Shrimp. My cats are both 16 years old, making them both 108 human years old. That means that they would have survived through the Great Depression, both World Wars, the Cold War, women earning the right to vote and so much more. That’s a lot of wisdom. My dog is 12 years old, making her 74 human years old. We adopted her when she was four years old from Arkansas. I’m not sure how old Shrimp is but he is a baby betta I bought at PETCO about three weeks ago. I am an avid plant owner and love to help my friends and family keep their plants alive. I also wrote an article on kscequinox.com about what plants are good for what dorm rooms. I paint and draw in whatever free time I have and sometimes ride my bike that I got in middle school. My favorite part of the Sports Editor position is creating the weekly layout for the sports section. I have always loved design and making things nice to look at which I get to do every week with this job! If you are interested in writing for the sports section or have any questions you can contact me at cboughton@kscequinox.com.