NEW YORK - Columbia women's tennis player Natalia Christenson has been appointed to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), as the Ivy League representative. Christenson, a junior, will begin her two-year term on September 1.

The Division I National SAAC consists of one student-athlete from each of the 31 Division I conferences. Members are selected by the current Division I SAAC members from a pool of three nominees from each conference. Each student-athlete serves a two-year term. The Division I National SAAC represents all 160,000 DI student-athletes in the NCAA governance structure, and reports directly to the Division I Management Council. Two SAAC members participate in each meeting of the Management Council as nonvoting members, and it is through this representation on the Management Council and other Division I and association-wide committees that NCAA Division I student-athletes offer input and assist in shaping the proposed legislation by which their division is governed.

The mission of the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is to enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting opportunity, protecting student-athlete well being, and fostering a positive student-athlete image.