CHARLESTON, S.C. – Junior distance runner Christian Bailey (Charlotte, N.C.) recently represented College of Charleston at the Southern Conference Student-Athlete Leadership Institute held on July 23-25 at the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, N.C.

Bailey was one of several student-athletes and administrators from each of the 12-member institutions to participate in leadership and team-building seminars over the course of two days, in addition to shared plans for their Student-Athlete Advisory Boards (SAAB) for the upcoming 2010-11 school year.

“I learned a lot from my experience at the leadership institute,” said Bailey, who was accompanied by CofC academic advisor Kate Tiller. “We discussed ways of building more school spirit and team goal-setting. It was great to meet student-athletes from other schools and even though we are rivals competitively, it's nice to know that we are all working towards the same goals.”

A member of the Honors College and the William Aiken Fellows Society, Bailey holds an impressive 3.93 grade-point average in internal business and Spanish. He is also a member of the SAAB executive committee and volunteers with the Mt. Pleasant Track Club in his spare time. After graduation, he would like pursue a career in sport management, particularly with international track events.

The SoCon has long recognized the value of developing the leadership skills of the young men and women who compete for conference championships reflecting its primary mission statement of, “preparing student-athletes for life's challenges since 1921.” Since its inception in 1995, SALI has afforded hundreds of SoCon student-athletes the opportunity to discuss the significant issues of the day that affect their lives as both students and athletes.

The CofC cross country team will open the season at the Eye Opener meet hosted by USC Upstate on Saturday, Sept. 4, in Spartanburg, S.C. The men will compete at 8:30 a.m. and the women at 8 a.m.