SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The Pac-12 announced Danielle Buchanan as the 2015 female recipient of the Pac-12 Leadership Award Sunday. The award, established in 2002, is a $3,000 scholarship for postgraduate study.
The conference created the award to recognize student-athletes who have served on their Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAAC) and awards one male and one female each year. Buchanan has served on the committee for the past two years and was recognized for the leadership she demonstrated within the committees.
The SAAC is composed of representatives from every school in the Pac-12. Each semester they hold a conference where student-athletes participate in group community service projects focusing on inclusion and opportunity. Last weekend, the committee members volunteered at the Northern California Special Olympics.
To be eligible for the award, the nominees must complete their athletics eligibility, be enrolled in or have plans to attend graduate school, be a letterwinner in a varsity sport and have served a minimum of one year on their institution’s SAAC. Their leadership abilities, community service, GPA, SAAC involvements and athletics achievement are also considered.
Buchanan is a true leader on and off the floor. Most recently she was selected to be a team captain by the gymnastics staff and Athletics administrators. She has served as a team community service coordinator for the past two years. During her time at Arizona, she has completed 110 hours of community service at Ben’s Bells, Team Impact, Casa Maria Food Kitchen and has engaged with local schools speaking at a number of events.
“I am extremely honored to win this award,” said Buchanan. “Without the opportunities provided by the Athletics Department, C.A.T.S. Life Skills and SAAC, I would not have had the chance to represent Arizona Athletics at the conference level and voice our collective opinion. My experiences with SAAC have taught me how to take a stand for what I believe in, portray these positive messages respectfully and professionally, and to work within a team to achieve the goals we set. Being a member of SAAC has instilled a set of skills within me that have not only helped me develop as a student athlete, but also prepared me to be successful in my pursuit of a Doctorate in Physical Therapy and any endeavor I take on in life.”
Buchanan, a physiology major with a 3.454 cumulative GPA, was recently accepted into Northwestern’s graduate program. She also received an All-Conference Academic honorable mention in 2013.
She looks to finish out her competitive career at Arizona by leading her team to its first NCAA appearance in over 10 years.
This is the 7th Arizona student-athlete to win this prestigious award, more than any other Pac-12 institution.
Other Wildcat winners include:
Jason Ranne – Basketball; 2003-04
Darrell Brooks – Football; 2005-06
Anna Chappell – W Basketball; 2005-06
Whitney Myers – Swimming; 2006-07
Ariane Masschelein – Tennis; 2009-10
Erin Menefee – Cross Country; 2013-14
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