Buzzards Bay, Mass. -- Massachusetts Maritime junior women's cross country and softball standout Kaitlin O'Donnell has been appointed to a three-year term on the NCAA Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and will begin serving on the prestigious board effective immediately.
A native of Damascus, Md. and a graduate of the Academy of the Holy Cross, O'Donnell will represent both the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) and The Commonwealth Coast Conference on the NCAA Division III National SAAC, as she is scheduled to attend her first meeting later this week at the NCAA's national headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind.
O'Donnell, who is majoring in Marine Engineering at Massachusetts Maritime, is a three-year letterwinner in cross country for Head Coach Linda Letourneau and helped lead the Buccaneers to a sixth place team finish at this year's MASCAC Championships. O'Donnell has also been a two-year letterwinner for Head Coach Christine McCarey's softball squad as an outfielder.
"Kaitlin's selection to the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is a great honor both for the Academy and for the MASCAC," Massachusetts Maritime Director of Athletics Bob Corradi says of O'Donnell's appointment. "She has been a leader during team competition on the field and in the community off of it, and she will represent both our school and our conference with great distinction."
O'Donnell will be working with the NCAA Division III SAAC on legislative issues that are currently affecting the division's membership, and she will also participate in the MASCAC SAAC's community service with the Unified Sports Program. MASCAC student-athletes will also be working with the Unified Sports Program and will sponsor a Field Day for area youth at Westfield State College later this year.
O'Donnell, who is also a leader in Massachusetts Maritime's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, will also assist in a venture with the Unified Sports Program on campus next spring, as the Academy SAAC will sponsor a "Buccaneer Day" for youth at area schools that will feature several activities.