Friday, October 20, 2017

Part of a regular series.

Throughout the year, GNACsports.com uses this space to profile conference student-athletes who are members of their respective institutions' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). In addition to providing feedback on the student-athlete experience, conference and institutional SAAC members also offer input on the rules, regulations, and policies that affect student-athletes' lives on NCAA member institution campuses. Click here for more information on the function of SAAC at the NCAA level.

Name: Michael Gahan
Sport: Baseball
School:Montana State Billings
Year: Senior
Major:Business Marketing
Hometown:Lismore, Australia

Extracurricular Activities: Student-Athlete Advisory Committee

Why Did You Choose To Attend Montana State Billings: I wanted to attend MSUB because of the great reputation of the baseball program and education.

What Is Your Favorite Class You Have Taken In College And Why: Business Marketing - It was a fun class learning about how consumers perceive different types of marketing strategies.

Who Is Your Favorite Professor You've Had In College And What Did You Enjoy About Learning From Him Or Her: Jessie Perius. the class was really informative and was interactive which made it enjoyable to learn.

Years Involved In SAAC: 2

The Reason I Chose To Get Involved In SAAC: I thought it was a great opportunity to meet other athletes and have a voice in our collegiate experience.

Most Memorable SAAC Activity: Legislation meeting.

If I Could Change One NCAA Rule, It Would Be: The redshirt rule on the percentage of games played. I think that if you have a season-ending injury but have only played a couple of games over the percentage you should be able to negotiate on a case to case basis about redshirting.

What Is The Most Important Thing You've Learned From Balancing The Demands Of Athletics And Academics: Time management is essential and being able to communicate with professors based on our schedules makes life a lot easier.

What Does It Mean To Be A Division II Student-Athlete: It means that I am grateful to have the opportunity to continue baseball after high school.

Current Mentor(s):  Aaron Sutton, Ryan Wright, Orv Franchuk

Future Goals After School: Play baseball in the 2020 and 2024 Olympics for Team Australia.

Biggest Obstacle Overcome During Collegiate Career: Having two knee surgeries.

Best Advice I’d Give To An Incoming Freshman: Take pride in your academic work. Make the most of your downtime.

If I Could Spend The Day With One Person (Past Or Present), Who Would It Be (And Why): Derek Jeter. He is one of, if not, the best shortstops in baseball history. I think hearing stories and talking about the game would be an awesome learning opportunity. Asking him about certain aspects of the game that would help me would be great.

Favorite Sports Team: Boston Red Sox

Favorite Athlete: Michael Jordan

Most Memorable Sports-Related Moment: Starting pitcher against the USA National Team on the opening night of 2011 U17 World Championships.

One Thing That People Don't Know About Me Is: It takes me 24 hours on multiple flights to get home.