SEMO ROUNDUP: Parks will represent OVC on national committee, volleyball staff makes addition

Southeast Missouri State student-athlete Megan Parks was chosen to serve on the NCAA Division I National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, it was announced Tuesday.

Parks, who competes in track & field and cross country, is the president of SAAC at Southeast and has participated in the Ohio Valley Conference's SAAC as well as the 2015 NCAA Leadership Forum.

The Bonne Terre, Missouri, native was selected from three nominees for the OVC. Each of the 32 Division I conferences has a representative that makes up the National SAAC.

"I feel all of my previous experiences have prepared me well for this position, including developing leadership among my fellow Southeast SAAC members, and creating more opportunities for the student-athlete voice to be heard on the Southeast Missouri campus," Parks said in a press release. "It means so much to me that I am now the voice for thousands of student-athletes in the OVC through National SAAC."

Members of SAAC serve a two-year and can be re-elected if eligible.

They serve on cabinets and committees within the Division I governance structure where they are able to, "offer input and assist in shaping the proposed legislation by which their division is governed," according to the release.

Parks is an OVC Medal of Honor recipient, OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll member, Southeast Scholar Athlete and member of the Dean's List.

She finished 12th at the 2015 OVC Cross Country Championships and also placed third in the 800-meter run at the OVC Outdoor Track & Field Championships this year.

"I cannot think of a more deserving individual as Megan is a true leader on our campus and in the OVC who has a passion for enhancing the overall student-athlete experience," said Rachel Blunt, Southeast assistant director of athletic for compliance and SAAC staff coordinator.

SEMO volleyball

Southeast volleyball coach Julie Yankus announced the hiring of Calaeb Campbell to her staff on Friday.

Campbell, who was a volunteer assistant at Ohio Valley Conference foe Tennessee Tech last year, will coach liberos and defense primarily.

"I'm extremely excited to add Calaeb to our staff," Yankus said in a press release. "His energy and passion for this sport is infectious and I know that will immediately impact the team. I think he will do a great job training our liberos and our team defense as well as helping improve our ball control. Calaeb's ability to identify talent and market our program will be extremely helpful in our recruiting efforts."

Campbell is from Spencer, Tennessee, and graduated from TTU in 2013, where he participated in club volleyball.

He also coached the MidTN Volleyball Club and was a coached with the Ethos Volleyball Club.

He was a non-faculty coach at Humge-Fogg Academic High School in Nashville and assisted at Cookeville High School.

The Redhawks went 10-20 and 6-10 in conference last season, bowing out in the first round of the OVC tournament to top-seeded Murray State.

Southeast opens the 2016 campaign at home, hosting New Orleans, University of Illinois-Chicago and Louisiana Tech in the Redhawks Invitational August 26 and 27.