By: India White
KENNESAW, Ga. - The Kennesaw State Owls are known to set the tone on and off the field. While KSU made itself known in its' debut year in Conference USA with several impressive top-four finishes and three conference titles, the Owls showed they are a well-rounded athletic program as they were named the winner of the 2025 CUSA SAAC Cup. The Owls scored 43 points to top their next closest competitor, Liberty, who came out on top of the 2024 Cup race.
"I'm very proud of our student-athletes as a whole for being such great representatives of KSU and doing exactly what we know they are capable of," said Megan Stoltzfus, KSU's Director of Student-Athlete Development who serves as SAAC advisor.
Keira Hight of the KSU women's track and field team represented the Owls at the annual CUSA SAAC meeting in July, which included a student-athlete SAAC member from each member institution and where this year's SAAC Cup winner was announced. The competition is based on performances in four areas of emphasis: community service, academic excellence, student-athlete development, and financial literacy.
"Getting to represent KSU at this meeting and accept the SAAC Cup on the institution's behalf was such an honor. I have seen that firsthand with the community service done by the track team, the support from our academic advisors and the career development courses all athletes take each year. Seeing these efforts rewarded was such a privilege, and I know our athletes and our staff will use this as momentum going into the next year," said Hight.
She was also excited about the opportunity to represent KSU student-athletes. Hight was able to speak about issues she feels all are more prominent across college athletics, most notably in dealing with mental health, academics, and financial literacy.
SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) is a student-run organization that exists to enhance and improve the student-athlete experience at Kennesaw State. SAAC provides support to athletes, helps answer questions about team concerns, NCAA rules, regulations, and serves as a platform for student-athletes to have their voices heard especially as the NCAA continues to change. At KSU, each team has at least two representatives on the SAAC committee.
A committee of six representatives at the conference level then oversees the CUSA SAAC Cup and provides direction for all institutions and student-athletes in the conference. With there so many recent changes within the NCAA, including scholarships, rosters and revenue sharing, as well as updated on the on-going court cases and initiatives. SAAC strives to make sure all student-athletes are well educated on what they need to know outside of the playing field to help them best succeed.
"We've had great support from the administration side for our student-athlete development and financial literacy programs, especially from our Athletic Director Milton Overton," said Stolzfus. "Those programs are very important for us and the support we get is very appreciated. I feel this award is a reflection of not only the hard work our athletes put in, but proof of what investing into the other side of being a student-athlete can mean. Now I just want to see what we can do this next year. We've shown we can finish at the top, now we have to do it again."
