CLAREMONT, Calif. – NCAA President Charlie Baker traveled to the West Coast this week, and took the time to visit the Claremont Colleges to meet with student-athletes and administrators on Wednesday, April 10.
During his time in Claremont, Baker met for an hour with a panel of student-athletes from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer to discuss various topics surrounding the NCAA Division III experience.
The CMS student-athletes who participated in the panel included Josh Angle (men's basketball), Natalie Bitetti (cross country/track and field), Dede Carranza (volleyball), Ivy Doran (women's soccer), Justin Edwards (football), Joshua Martinez (track and field) and Sena Selby (women's tennis).
"I've said many times that the best part of this job is that I get to talk to a lot of young people," Baker added, "and as someone who has spent a good part of my career in government, having the chance to talk to young people about where they're going and how they see the world, I feel a heck of a lot better about the future."
Angle, who was voted the Division III Men's Basketball Academic All-America Team Member of the Year by College Sports Communicators after graduating with a bachelor's in economics and a master's in finance from the Robert Day School at Claremont McKenna, was appreciative of the time that the student-athletes were able to spend with Baker.
"It was a great opportunity to talk to President Baker," Angle said. "I really appreciate that he takes the time to speak to student-athletes across the country. It was really cool to have him come speak to us as Division III athletes, and for him to get to hear more about our experience. I thought he listened to us and took our main points away, and overall it was just a great day and a really cool opportunity."
After meeting with the student-athletes, Baker followed up with a one-hour discussion in Roberts Pavilion with the Claremont College presidents, athletic directors, and SCIAC representatives.
Baker assumed the duties as the NCAA's sixth president on March 1, 2023, after being hired for the position on Dec. 15, 2022, as he neared the conclusion of his term as the 72nd governor of Massachusetts.
Baker is a graduate of Harvard, where he was a member of the men's varsity basketball team, and holds a Master's of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He is married to Lauren Baker, a former collegiate gymnast at Northwestern University, and father to three children (two of whom are former college athletes): Charlie, AJ, and Caroline.
"It was a really great opportunity to get to meet President Baker," said Selby, who has been a part of back-to-back NCAA Division III national championships with the CMS women's tennis team. "I think he was super receptive of everything we told him. It was a really cool environment to have athletes from CMS and Pomona-Pitzer there, and to hear about his experience."
"I'm really glad I had a chance to come visit," said Baker. "I learned a lot about the way the consortium works, which is unique and unusual, and clearly works for the schools, and I had a great meeting with the student-athletes. As the father of two kids who played DIII sports, I get what the DIII student-athlete experience is all about."
L to R: Charlie Baker with Hiram Chodosh (Claremont McKenna), Erica Perkins Jasper (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps), Miriam Merrill (Pomona-Pitzer), Jen Dubow (SCIAC)
