FAIRPORT, N.Y. -- On Friday, January 31, and Saturday, February 1, the Empire 8 Conference hosted its annual Student-Athlete Leadership Summit at the Woodcliff Hotel and Spa in Fairport, New York. According to the E8, the two-day summit was focused on bringing together student-athletes, coaches and administrators from around the conference in a fun and educational environment.

Four student-athletes – Michael Courtney '21 (men's soccer), Savannah Terry '21 (women's volleyball), Kelsey Lofvenborg '22 (women's volleyball), and Luke Frontale '22 (baseball) – represented Elmira College at the summit, participating in a variety of team-building activities with students from other E8 institutions. They also heard from two speakers, who discussed in-depth the theme of this year's event: mental health.

"The Empire 8 Summit is an annual summit that the conference holds with the goal of bringing the athletes, who compete in the Empire 8, closer together off the field," Courtney said. "Each summit has a specific theme, which is usually an issue that the conference wants to address. It is a great opportunity for us as student-athletes to have our voices heard."

"It was very fun to interact with athletes from other institutions," Frontale added. "Usually, these are the people we are competing with, so it was very interesting to get to know them and what their schools are like away from the athletic field."

"I think it is beneficial because athletes from every school are able to come together to accomplish a goal of learning how we can better ourselves for our teams and our schools," Terry said. "Since we are usually competing against each other, it was very nice to just hang out and bond with one another."

In addition to a presentation from John Rigney, Senior Counselor/Outreach Coordinator in Health and Counseling Services at Nazareth College, attendees heard from former University of Michigan football player Will Heininger, who now serves as an Outreach Coordinator for Mental Health at UM's Depression Center. Heininger publicly shared his story of overcoming major depression and anxiety while playing for the Wolverines and excelling as a student-athlete. After successful treatment, he went on to graduate as a four-time Academic All-Big Ten award winner and a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.

For each of the Elmira student-athletes who attended, listening to Heininger, a former student-athlete at a prominent Division I program, talk about his battle with mental health was an eye-opening experience.

"My favorite part about the Empire 8 Summit Conference was listening to Will Heininger talk about mental health in athletics and what it's like to struggle as an athlete and a student, especially at a prestigious university," Lofvenborg explained. "Listening to him speak made me realize that I want to get to understand some of my own teammates a little bit better and what's going on in their lives, so that they don't feel like coming to teammates and the coaching staff is difficult."

For more information on the Empire 8 Summit, click here to read an event recap from the conference office. 

About the Empire 8 Conference
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit www.empire8.com.