SEC Student-Athletes To Hold Joint SAAC, Leadership Council Meeting

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Tennessee student-athletes Micah Abernathy (football), Kyle Alexander (men's basketball), Micah Bohon (swimming and diving), Ari Cogdell (track and field) and Mercedes Russell (women's basketball) will represent UT at a joint meeting of the Southeastern Conference Student-Athlete Leadership Councils and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Friday through Sunday in Birmingham.

A total of 69 SEC student-athletes will be on hand for the joint meeting -- the first for these groups since they were introduced by Commissioner Greg Sankey in 2016. Leadership councils for the sports of football and men's and women's basketball were created to provide student-athletes with additional opportunities to engage with campus leaders and conference office staff.

Twenty-eight SAAC representatives will begin the three-day meeting on Friday afternoon. The student-athletes will participate in a presentation by Josh Foliart of Growing Leaders, and they will also have an opportunity to share programming ideas from their respective on-campus committees.

Saturday's schedule includes a meeting with Commissioner Sankey, who will lead a discussion on a variety of topics chosen by the student-athletes. Former student-athletes Chris Draft and Freddie Scott II will also speak to the group, and SEC Assistant Commissioner Matt Boyer will review the SEC and NCAA governance structure and approved legislation for the 2017-18 school year.

Saturday afternoon the group will participate in community service projects at the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama and the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge. The Community Food Bank operates as a central clearinghouse for collecting food, and it serves 12 counties in Alabama. Hope Lodge offers free lodging to cancer patients and their families, and it also provides a variety of resources and information about cancer and how best to fight the disease.

The meeting will conclude on Sunday with an emphasis on career development. SEC Director of Student-Athlete Engagement Misty Brown and Jametta K. White will address the group.

About Tennessee's Representatives
Rising senior Micah Bohon is a represents swimming and diving in UT's SAAC chapter and is coming off a junior campaign in which she reached the SEC championship final in the 200-yard backstroke. The Summerville, South Carolina, native earned All-America honors at the conclusion of the 2015-16 season after swimming the third leg of the Vols' 400 freestyle relay that grabbed an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships.

Fellow SAAC rep Ari Cogdell is entering his junior season with the track and field program and is a three-time All-American as a member of UT's 4x400m relay team. During the 2017 indoor season, the Miami Gardens, Florida, native helped the Vols post a 4x400 time of 3:06.30 at the Razorback Invitational -- the third-fastest mark in school history.

Rising junior defensive back Micah Abernathy was tabbed as Tennessee football's representative in the first SEC Football Student-Athlete Leadership Council in January. The Atlanta native is coming off a breakout sophomore season in which he ranked second on the team with 69 tackles (52 solo), led the team with three fumbles recovered and tied for the team lead with two interceptions and six passes defended. Abernathy earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 12 when he set a UT record with three fumbles recovered in the Vols win over Virginia Tech.

Kyle Alexander, a rising junior forward out of Milton, Ontario, will represent Tennessee men's basketball at the joint meetings. Alexander made 23 starts during his sophomore season on Rocky Top, averaging 3.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game. He tallied a career-best 13 points against Appalachian State last season and tied UT's single-game record when he notched six blocked shots at TCU during the 2015-16 season.

Women's Basketball Leadership Council representative Mercedes Russell will be a redshirt senior during the upcoming 2017-18 season. Last season, the Springfield, Oregon, native earned Honorable Mention All-America recognition from the AP and WBCA as well as second team All-SEC honors after averaging 16.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. She led the SEC in double-doubles with 19 -- the most ever by a Lady Vol junior.

About The Presenters
Chris Draft is former NCAA student-athlete who spent 13 years playing in the National Football League. Through its primary initiatives, the Chris Draft Foundation stresses the importance of education, healthy lifestyles, character development, personal responsibility, self-discipline and physical fitness.

Josh Foliart is a former student-athlete at the University of Arkansas. His focus has been on launching and growing MULTIPLi, a non-profit with a purpose of training and equipping 500 leaders from around the world.

Freddie Scott II serves as president of Unlock the Champion, a non-profit organization committed to leadership development and empowering people to understand and maximize their influence by knowing their worth and leading with values.

University of Tennessee Athletics

SEC Student-Athletes To Hold Joint SAAC, Leadership Council Meeting

Players Mentioned

Micah Abernathy

Kyle Alexander

Micah Bohon

Ari Cogdell

Mercedes Russell

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