SAN BRUNO – The West Coast Conference once again held a successful Student-Athlete Leadership Summit this month, hosted by LMU.
The Student-Athlete Leadership Summit brings two student-athletes from each institution together to learn and grow as individuals and as a group. A West Coast Conference campus hosts the summit annually. Each year features a focused topic that is highlighted throughout the weekend. This year centered around utilizing a leadership role as an athlete outside of athletics. A new format was implemented this year that incorporated the leadership summit with the student-athletes who represented and attended the Executive Council meeting as STARs (student-athlete representatives).
For the second consecutive year, Michael Willett from WalkOn Nation served as a keynote speaker at the summit for an engaging two-day workshop focused on personal growth and leadership development both with regards to athletic competition and as individuals separate from their respective sports. Throughout the summit, Willett encouraged student-athletes to reflect on the benefits and challenges of their experiences as student-athletes and consider how they can use those experiences to positively impact their campuses and communities. A central theme of the workshop was the importance of maintaining an identity beyond athletics. Through interactive discussions and activities over the two-day program, student-athletes explored their values, leadership styles and goals for the future. Willett once again provided valuable personal and professional development opportunities for West Coast Conference student-athletes.
Other highlights from the event included meeting former Chief of Staff of the Ohio Delegation and veteran of Capitol Hill, Mike Smullen. He discussed U.S. Government structure (as it pertains to college sports), the Protect College Sports Act and the current state of collegiate athletics discussion within the House, Senate and White House. He encouraged the student-athletes to use their voice on these topics that will change the future of collegiate athletics.
There was also a conversation regarding financial literacy with Lincoln Aquino from Credit Union 1, the title sponsor of the Credit Union 1 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship. Aquino discussed topics like tax education, budgeting and financial planning advice, along with a thorough rundown regarding payment and taxes as it pertains to NIL.
The student-athletes in attendance were also given the opportunity to make a direct impact on the community around the LMU campus. The group engaged with Friends of Ballona Wetlands for a community service project. The Ballona Wetlands lie at the mouth of a large watershed that cover much of the Los Angeles Metro Area. The cleanup was a firsthand opportunity for student-athletes to learn about community impact and how they can grow connections to make an impact in their local area.
Finally, the student-athletes reflected on the past year and discussed goals and priorities for the upcoming academic year. A significant portion of the conversation focused on challenges related to participation and attendance at their home events on campus. Student-athletes shared their experiences, identified barriers to engagement and exchanged ideas and best practices to improve involvement and attendance moving forward.
Events like the Student-Athlete Leadership Summit put the West Coast Conference and its membership in multiple areas to thrive and grow heading into the 2026-27 academic year.