Leader of the 'Canes: Viola Embracing Her Role as SAAC President
By: Rob Dunning
CORAL GABLES, Fla.– She is one of the most accomplished student-athletes in the history of the University of Miami.
National champion.
NCAA Diver of the Year.
Three-time All-American.
United States Diving team captain.
Dean’s List member.
The list is seemingly endless. Yet despite an impressive past and a hopeful future on the diving boards and in the classroom, senior Brittany Viola’s biggest impact on campus may come as a result of her role as the president of UM’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
It’s a committee few know about and a position even fewer are aware of. As SAAC president, Viola is the voice of the student-athlete. It may go unnoticed to fans and most anyone for that matter, but her impact over the last two years as leader of the Hurricanes has made quite an impression on her peers and the leaders of the athletic department.
Viola, whose father Frank earned World Series MVP honors in 1987 with the Minnesota Twins, heads monthly meetings with UM administrators and student-athlete representatives from every sport to discuss ideas and issues that may otherwise have been overlooked without her presence. Facility and equipment upgrades, event scheduling and community service initiatives are just a sampling of items that come up throughout the year. It’s Viola’s job to listen to suggestions made by her fellow student-athletes, recognize what is important and take those thoughts to Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt. From there, Viola, Hocutt and administrators work together to improve the lives of Miami’s student-athletes.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Kirby to get the student-athlete perspective to be heard,” Viola said. “SAAC is what you make of it. You could easily just show up to the meetings once a month and be done with it. But each year I’ve gotten more and more excited about its growth and development at UM. Its capability is astounding.”
“It’s kind of sad but I spend probably too much of my spare time thinking about it,” Viola added jokingly.
Her goal is to not only improve the lives of the student-athletes at Miami, but to bring everyone together and better embrace the family atmosphere Hocutt has emphasized throughout the athletic department.
“Being president of SAAC gives me a great opportunity to build relationships with other student-athletes you wouldn’t normally interact with on a day-to-day basis,” Viola said. “With everyone so spread out and on different schedules, it is difficult to meet and get to know student-athletes from other sports. This role has given me a great opportunity to bring everyone together.”
Viola’s influence and guidance isn’t limited to Coral Gables. Over the last year, she served as the chair of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s SAAC, serving as the voice of the student-athlete across the conference.
She’s a student, a diver and a leader. She is a member of the Iron Arrow Honor Society, the highest honor attained at the University of Miami. She is working towards a double major in Electronic Media and Sport Administration. This fall, she is spending about 20 hours a week as an intern in the athletic department’s Hurricane Club.
Over the next year, look for Viola to not only continue her tireless work with SAAC and wrap up her double major course work, but work her way back from a foot injury that has limited her for the last year. Surgeries last November and again in August temporarily have her restricted to rehabilitation away from the pool. Working with head diving coach Randy Ableman, her hope going forward is to be ready for ACC Championships in February and NCAA’s in March. Her senior season is important to her, but as is the case with all elite athletes, preparing herself for the 2012 Olympics is the ultimate objective.
But first and foremost there is work to be done here. SAAC is a thankless job that takes a special person to do and Miami has found that person.
“Brittany is a tremendously talented young person who exemplifies everything that is great about intercollegiate athletics,” Hocutt said. “Her desire and focus to be the best in her personal, academic and athletic endeavors is a positive influence for children that look up to our student-athletes as role models.”
A role model to role models.
