SUWANEE, Ga. – The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference office announced today that the Texas Lutheran University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is the winner of the league's "Change For The Better" campaign, marking the fourth consecutive time and sixth time in seven years that the TLU SAAC has earned top honors.
Texas Lutheran won the 2023 competition with a record total of $3,493.20 raised to support former TLU student-athlete, Zachary Herman ’22.
During his career at TLU, Herman earned All-Region honors his junior and senior year, setting the program record in the hammer throw and representing the Bulldogs in the event at the 2022 NCAA Track & Field National Championships in Ohio last May. On July 20, 2022, his life was forever changed. Herman was diagnosed with A.L.L Leukemia, a rapid developing blood cancer, but through faith in his lord and savior Jesus Christ, as well as the support he received from his family and friends and the care from his doctors, he has been able to fight this disease. In January he learned that his cancer had returned and restarted his treatment process. He wishes to use this new battle to raise awareness not only of a deadly disease, but that with Faith, Family and Fight, anything is possible.
Other participating SCAC SAAC endeavors included Colorado College and Trinity University both raising over $400 for their respective charities, while Austin College, Schreiner University and Southwestern University all eclipsed the $200 mark for their fundraising efforts.
Eight of the league's nine Student-Athlete Advisory Committees participated in this year's effort to raise an SCAC record $5,190.19 for various charitable organizations. This year’s record breaking amount represents a seven percent increase over the previous high of $4,852.89 raised during the 2020 SCAC SAAC Change for the Better campaign.
In the seven-year history of the event, league SAACs have made an impressive $21,534.14 worth of charitable contributions via the "Change For the Better" campaign.
The results for this year's initiative, with the school's chosen charity, are listed below:
- Texas Lutheran - Zachary Herman '22 ($3,493.20)
- Colorado College - Children's Hosptial of Colorado Springs ($489.10)
- Trinity University - Morgan's Wonderland STRAPS ($411.00)
- Schreiner University - Habitat For Hummanity ($223.92)
- Austin College - Boys & Girls Club of Sherman ($207.90)
- Southwestern University - Brookwood in Georgetown ($202.00)
- Centenary College - Boys & Girls Club of Shreveport ($156.00)
- University of Dallas - ($7.07)
