PITTSBURGH, PA. – The United States Collegiate Athletic Association held its 2025 National Convention from June 1st – 3rd in Portland, Maine at the Holiday Inn Portland – By the Bay. The annual meeting brought together member institutions from around the country to discuss current issues and bring forth ideas and legislation to improve the organization.
The National Convention began with two early sessions on Sunday afternoon following check-in, both dealing with USCAA eligibility. The first, the Annual Eligibility 101 which covered the basics of eligibility reporting, led by USCAA staff members, Jenna Petrucci and Jared Sullenberger. Running concurrently was a more in-depth eligibility session focused on the best practices in vetting international student athletes and ensuring their amateurism. This session was hosted by USCAA Eligibility & Compliance chair, Matthew Richards.
These sessions were followed by the annual Hall of Fame dinner on Sunday evening with the induction of six new members. The 2025 USCAA Hall of Fame Class inductees were Shaquana Owens (Villa Maria College), Tommy Stirling (Southern Maine Community College), Jason Cwiklinski (Central Maine Community College), J’Quavious Thurmond (NHTI), Mike Bridges (Central Maine Community College), and Matthew Simms (USCAA).
The night featured an opening reception with USCAA members, staff, and the Hall of Fame class preceding dinner and the award ceremony. The guest speaker on the evening was Dr. Klint Pleasant, the Senior VP of Athletics and Assistant to the President at Rochester Christian University, a former member of the USCAA. During their time in the Association, after taking over for his father, Garth Pleasant, he guided the Men’s Basketball program to 6 USCAA National Championship appearances including National Titles in 2013 and 2018. In the 2015-16 season, he was named the Division I Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year, and the University was named the Directors Cup Champion, an award given to the most successful overall athletic department within the USCAA. During Coach Pleasant’s tenure, the Warriors have notched 14 USCAA All-Americans.
Following the Hall of Fame induction, members in attendance were invited to participate in the USCAA Mixer, a casual event featuring a DJ and karaoke allowing current member administrators to mingle with the newest class of the USCAA Hall of Fame and their guests.
On Monday morning the opening session of the convention was held, including the State of the Association from Chief Operating Officer, BJ Bertges. In addition to the annual report the Association honored its End of Year Award winners. Johnson & Wales Charlotte was crowned the Director’s Cup Champion; Christendom College claimed the President’s Cup title for the 2024-25 academic year and Lou Zadecky (Carlow University) was named the Garth Pleasant Athletic Director of the Year.
Following the opening session the USCAA offered two professional development sessions that included, “Student Athlete Leadership & Development” led by Adrienne Shibles, Associate Director of Athletics and SWA at Bates College and “Developing an Athletics Culture through Organizational Framing and Collective Mindfulness” presented by Stephen Oberly, former Athletic Director at Penn State Fayette and current doctoral student at Concordia University – Chicago.
Following the two professional development opportunities were the Eligibility Town Hall session, where the 5th year of eligibility was discussed, a casual lunch that included the USCAA Championship report provided by USCAA Assistant Director of Championships, Jared Sullenberger, and the General Town Hall session for ratings/selections and championships. Complete meeting videos are linked below. The subcommittees for ratings/selections and championships also met during the Convention to file their recommendations based on discussion from these sessions. Those recommendations will be distributed in the coming months.
Following the second Town Hall, members had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Klint Pleasant once again, this time talking about how Sports & Teams can help navigate trauma. His session was followed by the final town hall session of the day where all legislative items were discussed in an open forum.
On Monday evening attendees were given the option to participate in two social events. The first option was a lobster boat tour where attendees were given the opportunity to bait traps, catch and measure live lobster, and reset traps in the bay before heading back to shore. For those who opted to stay landside, the annual cornhole tournament was hosted at Novare Res, a local bar and restaurant. This year’s champions were USCAA Board President, Ryan Ehrie and Damone Brown, the athletic director at Bryant & Stratton Buffalo.
Tuesday continued this year’s Professional Development Series with four more opportunities to view presenters. In the first session of the day attendees had the chance to hear from Attorney, Paul Greene, on the latest trends in NIL as well as Dr. Jennifer Laney who spoke on the best practices for athletic staff development evaluations. In the second professional development session, Zack Luzzi, Athletic Director at Paul Smith’s College, spoke about enrollment growth through diversified athletic offerings while Bob Dranoff and Dan Mara, former and current conference commissioners in the New England area, spoke about the benefits of adding Student Athlete Advisory Councils to your athletic programs.
The full line up of topics and speakers can be found below and all recordings online at www.uscaasportsnetwork.com. For those in attendance, you can request the recordings by contacting the National Office. Those not in attendance can purchase each session for a small fee.
New Member Orientation & Eligibility 101
Student Athlete Leadership Development
Developing an Athletics Culture through Organizational Framing and Collective Mindfulness
How Sports & Teams Help Navigate Trauma
Latest Trends of NIL: Small College Athletic Departments & Students
Athletics Staff Development Evaluations & Best Practices
Enrolment Growth through Diversified Athletic Offerings
The Value of SAAC for your Athletic Program
The Convention was capped off with the Business Meeting which is where the proposed legislation is voted on. The full meeting can be viewed using the link below.
Below is the complete 2025 USCAA National Convention report. If you have any questions, please contact the National Office at 757-798-9536 or by email at info@theuscaa.com.
---
Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
2023-24 USCAA Championships Report