Sept. 14, 2009

2009 River Hawk Games Photo Gallery

The UMass Lowell Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) hosted the Second Annual River Hawk Games on Cushing Field on Sunday afternoon. The event saw 225 student-athletes participate in a giant game of "Shipwreck," an "Ultimate Relay" and a "Champions' Tug-O-War."

The overall winners for the afternoon were the members of the white team, captained by SAAC board members Brianne Bozzella (women's soccer) and John Corbacio (men's basketball). The team captured the most points overall and earned the bragging rights as the champions of the 2009 River Hawk Games.

The Ultimate Relay consisted of various stations around the Cushing Field Complex, including sack, eight-legged and wheelbarrow races, tennis and golf ball tosses, hurdles and dashes, puzzles and a pie eating contest. This leg of the afternoon was captured by the green team, captained by Ryan Richards (men's soccer) and Sarah Bonomo (cross country/track).

The afternoon commenced with a giant game of Shipwreck on Cushing Field, where the top four student-athletes were Romeo Diaz (men's basketball), Giovanni Frias (track and field), Jamie Gillis (women's soccer) and Craig Heatherly (men's basketball).

The competition portion of the afternoon was followed by a barbeque for the participating student-athletes. The relay format for this year's River Hawk Games was based on experiences that Jillian Hadder (volleyball) and Dustin Ramey (baseball) participated in at the NCAA Student-Athlete Development Conference in Orlando, FL this past May.

SAAC is committee of student-athletes that meet regularly and plan events to enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting leadership opportunities, protecting student-athlete welfare, fostering a positive student-athlete image and providing educational and community service opportunities.