TROY, N.Y. - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is proud to announce its executive board as well as its team representatives of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for the 2021-22 academic year. Six student-athletes will make up the executive board and 61 other members will serve as team representatives with each of Rensselaer's 23 intercollegiate programs having at least one rep.

Graduate student Vinnie McDonald (Elmont, NY / Elmont Memorial) from football and senior Matthew Youngbar (Raleigh, NC / Ravencroft School) from men's swimming & diving will serve as co-presidents, with plans to help promote new initiatives that include an expanded partnership with Special Olympics and also working closely with our Greek Life partners on campus.

McDonald is a captain who has played 27 games for the Engineers, recording 44 receptions for 607 yards and six touchdowns with a career-long of 64 yards. Averaging 13.8 yards per catch, the industrial and management engineering major helped the Engineers reach the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2018 and was All-Liberty League Honorable Mention in 2019. He previously served as SAAC's campus and community involvement chair.

A freestyle and butterfly swimmer, Youngbar has aided the Engineers to Liberty League Championships in 2018-19 and 2019-20, scoring 177 points during his freshman season. Collecting four victories, he also had two second place and two third place finishes. As a sophomore, he swam a personal best of 1:57:06 in the 200 fly at MIT. A computer and systems engineers major, he is planning the logistics of having RPI student-athletes trained, arranging facilities and dates for the Special Olympics Young Athletes, which focuses on children aged 2-7. He was the committee's fundraising coordinator last year.

The marketing & promotions coordinator is Emily Vallee (Greenwich, NY / Schuylerville), who is in her second year at the position. A member of the Class of 2022, she plays basketball with 35 career games played and is a jumper on the outdoor track & field team. She is a Dean's Honor List and conference All-Academic honoree as a biochemistry and biophysics major.

Sabrina Torcellini (Branford, CT / Branford), also a member of the Class of 2022, is the events coordinator and is responsible for all SAAC-hosted events, including Kids' Day and Special Olympics activities. An attack, she has played in 16 career games, collecting 13 goals and two assists with eight ground balls, 14 draw controls and one caused turnover. The mechanical engineering major is one of five women's lacrosse student-athletes on the committee.

Senior Alli McLaughlin (Glastonbury, CT / Glastonbury), also from lacrosse, is the Liberty League representative. The chemical engineering major will serve as the point person between the Rensselaer SAAC and the Liberty League and NCAA. She will be responsible for attending the SAAC Conference and leading the Change Wars, among other tasks. McLaughlin has interned at TTM Technologies and is on the Dean's Honor List.

A business and management major, Austin Charles (Castiac, CA/Cathedral) will take over as the community and campus involvement coordinator, in charge of leading the logistics for community events such as a blood drive, Fresh Check Day and weekly readers. A captain, Charles has interned with UCLA Development, Sports Innovation Lab Research and NYSERDA Contract Management and has been a volunteer mentor with Albany JC Club and Power Lunch Reading.

The men's team representatives are Chris Grome and Evan Mahns (baseball); Cam Bleibtrey and Dom Black (basketball); Owen Szabo and Will Hawkins (cross country); Amaechi Konkwo, George Marinopoulos, Cam Younginer and Roland Witherspoon (football); Trent Han and Joey Harrington (golf); Jake Johnson and Zach Dubinsky (hockey); Devon Boyko, Nolan Farina, Connor Glosner and Jon Matkin (lacrosse); Michael Harten, CJ Emmerich and Cameron Growney (soccer); Matt Abraham and Matt Nowak (swimming & diving); Eddie Wu, Abraham Yohannes, Max Safanov and Peter Lohrbach (tennis); and Casey Selinske, Justin Park and Tim Wise (track & field).

The women's team representatives are Erin Doyle and Ahnalese Pearson (basketball); Grace Brolly, Nia Goddard and Leah Goodloe (cross country); Haley Korwan and Jessie House (field hockey); Hannah Price, Sara Bayne, Lilli Friis-Hansen, Amanda Rampado and Delaney Weiss (ice hockey); Zara Wiest, Megan Shay and Riley Eldredge (lacrosse); Olivia Spector, Michelle Lomoz, MacKenzie Grenier, Helen Worden and Ali Bisaccia (soccer); Jessica Torch, Kate Anderson, Erin Askins and Brooke Sroczinski (softball); Ashley German, Maddie Day, Patricia Christensen and Alyssa Cahill (swimming & diving); Rani Jones (tennis); and Elizabeth Evans and Maya Verma (track & field).

Rensselaer's SAAC strives to mimic the mission of the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which is to enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting opportunity, protecting student-athlete welfare and fostering a positive student-athlete image.

The mission statement for RPI's SAAC reads:

The RPI SAAC provides a voice for student-athletes within the RPI Community, represents the interests of student-athletes to the administration, undertakes projects that benefit all members of the community, and highlights engaged student-athletes on campus.