May 20, 2009

Sophomores Jillian Hadder (Yucaipa, CA) and Dustin Ramey (Kingston, NH), members of the UMass Lowell volleyball and baseball teams, were selected to attend the 2009 NCAA Student-Athlete Development Conference May 24-27 at the Walt Disney World the Coronado Springs in Orlando.

Hadder and Ramey are among 233 Division I, II and III student-athletes chosen for the Conference, which is a forum focusing on the development of leadership skills on campus and in the community; and to discuss issues facing today’s student-athletes.

Both Hadder and Ramey are members of UMass Lowell’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), the collective voice for all student-athletes at the University which provide input into the operational procedures that affect student-athletes; develops strategies to better involve student-athletes in community-related activities; and is responsible for disseminating important information to the other members of their teams.

“We are proud to have Jillian and Dustin represent UMass Lowell at the NCAA Development Conference,” said Senior Associate Director of Athletics Joan Lehoullier, who oversees UMass Lowell’s SAAC. “They are two very bright student-athletes who are well respected by their peers. There is no doubt that the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will benefit from their attendance at the Convention.”

Hadder is a two-time Northeast-10 Conference all-star and was among NE-10 offensive leaders. She has also been a standout in the classroom with a 3.59 grade point average in psychology.

Ramey, a junior academically and a sophomore eligibility-wise, recently capped his first season with the baseball team after sitting out two seasons due to injuries. He has also been an exemplary student with a 3.07 in management.

Hadder is the daughter of Steve and Gina Hadder of Yucaipa, CA. Ramey is the son of Fred and Jayne Ramey of Kingston, NH.