By: Nick Kapatos
Hempstead, NY – The Coastal Athletic Association hosted its annual Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) in Richmond, Virginia, from June 19-21, and student-athletes
Chase Liardi of the wrestling program and
Chelsea Villar of the softball program were the two SAAC representatives from Hofstra, and they were joined at the summit by Hofstra Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Student-Athlete Success
Rachel Peel-Macandrew. Villar and Liardi will serve as the Hofstra SAAC President and Vice President, respectively, at the beginning of the 2025-26 academic calendar.
Summit participants had the opportunity to share ideas and concerns related to their student-athlete experience, and provided input on a variety of conference and national issues. Speakers making presentations to the 26-person group of student-athlete SAAC representatives were Will Baggett, a nationally acclaimed keynote speaker and former operations manager for the College Football Playoff, and Dr. Morgan Russell-Stokes, the Dean for Student Equity & Inclusion at the University of Richmond.
"The CAA SAAC Leadership Summit was such a great experience! I loved getting to meet and learn from such driven and passionate student-athletes, as well as from administrators at institutions across the CAA conference," said Villar, who completed her sophomore season in 2025. "This summit reminded me of the power of leadership, connection and communication in all aspects of life."
"Attending the CAA SAAC Leadership Summit was an awesome experience. It was great meeting other student-athletes from around the conference and hearing their different perspective. I walked away with a better sense of how to be a stronger leader, not just on my team, but also in the Hofstra community," said Liardi, who completed his redshirt junior season at Hofstra. "Having Will Baggett as one of our keynote speakers was awesome. He emphasized how perception is everything in sports, and that stuck with me. The way you carry yourself can make just as much of an impact as your performance. Overall, the summit motivated me to be more intentional as a leader and to keep finding ways to make a positive impact at Hofstra."