HADLEY, Mass. – Bowdoin junior Phil Tonucci (Hingham, Mass.) has been selected by the NCAA to serve on the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Tonucci will be entering his third season with the Polar Bear Football team this fall and will also serve as a member of the NESCAC SAAC in addition to his role as a part of the Bowdoin SAAC.

Tonucci saw action in all eight of the Polar Bears games in 2007, playing the first four contests as part of the defensive rotation and the last four on special teams. Tonucci is currently pursuing a degree in Government/Legal Studies and Economics. He was a three-sport athlete at Roxbury-Latin School prior to enrolling at Bowdoin.

Tonucci will represent the NESCAC and its partner conference, the Little East Conference, for the next three years until his term expires in 2011, one year following graduation. Tonucci will attend both NESCAC and Little East Conference SAAC meetings along with NCAA SAAC meetings.

The mission of the NCAA Division III SAAC is to enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting opportunity for all student-athletes, along with protecting student-athlete welfare and fostering a positive student-athlete image, while maintaining the tenants of the Division III philosophy.

The NCAA SAAC is comprised of both female and male student-athletes charged with the responsibility of assisting in the review of NCAA proposed legislation and representing the voice of the student-athlete in the NCAA governance structure. The SAAC provides student-athlete input on issues related to student-athlete well-being.

The input of the NCAA SAAC continues to be sought by a variety of constituencies within the Association. Student-athlete committee members have the opportunity to speak with the NCAA Management Councils, and the SAAC regularly speaks to legislative issues on the NCAA Convention floor.