BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - UAB announced on Friday that the athletics department won the 2019-20 Conference USA SAAC Cup, which is annually presented to one member institution whose existing student-athletes make contributions in community service projects, as well as achievement in personal development programming and academic success.
C-USA and its membership institutions are recognized for their participation and accomplishments in predetermined SAAC areas of emphasis during each academic year, which encompasses the following: Academic Excellence Award, C-USA Career Development Initiative, Financial Literacy Programming and Academic Year Community Service Recognition.
“I am beyond proud of our student-athletes, specifically the SAAC reps who lead and encourage their teammates to make a difference in the community and attend student-athletes development programming,” said Caitlin Callaghan, Associate Director of Student-Athlete Development and leader of the UAB Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
UAB says one of their three core values within the Department of Athletics is ‘Making a Difference,’ and they have been one of the national leaders in community service over the last five years. In 2019-20, the Blazers say they collectively logged over 3,800 hours of giving back to the Birmingham community.
To win the C-USA SAAC Cup, member institutions receive points for final standings within each of the SAAC Cup areas of emphasis.
The Blazers had three teams win the Academic Excellence Award: Women’s Tennis, Women’s Basketball and Softball. Within the community, UAB is very active with many organizations, including Children’s Hospital, Smile-A-Mile, Lakeshore Foundation, Miracle of Gardendale and Habitat for Humanity.
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