Friday, May 14, 2021

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.

Name: Dylan Barkley
Sport: Baseball
Institution: Montana State University Billings
Year: Senior
Major: Political Science
Hometown: Missoula, Montana

Why Did You Choose To Attend Montana State Billings?: I chose to attend Montana State Billings because it’s close to home and the baseball program is competitive. Winning and being competitive was important to me.

What Is Your Favorite Class You Have Taken And Why?: My favorite class was Constitutional Law because I aspire to be a lawyer. We learned how to prepare cases and, in the process, I retained important vocabulary words and general knowledge about laws in our country.

Who Is Your Favorite Professor And What Did You Enjoy About Learning From Him Or Her?: My favorite professor is Dr. Paul Pope. I have taken a lot of his political science courses. He structures his classes to help his students retain the maximum amount of information.

Years Involved In SAAC: Three years.

The Reason You Chose To Get Involved In SAAC: I wanted to represent the student-athletes at MSUB and create a better experience for all of us.

Most Memorable SAAC Activity To Date: The most memorable SAAC activities for me are when we vote on legislation because it’s an important part of the student-athlete experience.

How Do You Feel Participating In SAAC Will Help You In Life After You Graduate?: Participating in SAAC prepares me to represent larger populations. We attempt to represent all student-athletes and create a path to a great college experience at MSUB. Being in SAAC also provides me with valuable leadership skills to help me get ready to enter the workforce.

What Does It Mean To You To Be A Division II Student-Athlete?: Being a Division II student-athlete means that I need to be gritty. I’m not provided with the same resources as Division I athletes but the experience is still great. Division II also has competitive competition.

What Is The Most Important Thing You’ve Learned About Balancing Athletics And Academics?: Time management is key.

Biggest Obstacle Overcome During Your Collegiate Career: Going through a coaching change is a difficult process for any team, but playing for two high-quality head coaches definitely helped to smooth out the process.

Favorite Thing About Competing In The GNAC: Winning championships.

Most Memorable Sports-Related Moment: Winning the 2019 GNAC Championships with a great group of guys.

Current Mentor(s): Tom Barkley, Becky Barkley, Drue Barkley and Matt Hape.

Best Advice You’d Give To An Incoming Freshman: Have fun with it all. The days will sometimes be long and your body is going to hurt but just have fun while it lasts.

If You Could Spend The Day With One Person (Past Or Present), Who Would It Be (And Why)?: I would spend the day with Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest basketball players of all time and he mastered the mental aspect of his sport. He was a mentor to all athletes and showed everyone what must be done to be successful.

Future Goals After Graduation: I want to attend law school.

Favorite Sports Team: Cleveland Browns.

Favorite Athlete: Baker Mayfield.

One Thing People Don’t Know About You Is: I played the trumpet in seventh grade.