Syracuse, N.Y. – Le Moyne College women's cross country and track and field rising junior Olivia Snell (Valley Falls, N.Y./Greenwich) recently was selected for and attended the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Training (SALT) program.

SALT took place in an interactive virtual environment June 17-18. The training was created to provide 200 participants with opportunities to discover their leadership qualities and identity. The curriculum was designed to develop foundational understanding of self-awareness and the impact it has on one's ability to influence others and ways to implement within their teams, campuses, communities and society throughout their lives.  

"It was a phenomenal experience being able to learn with and from student-athletes across the country," said Snell. "The different sessions allowed me to develop new tools to be a more effective leader. I was also able to share a bit about my own personal story and leadership style - referring to gratitude attitude - and learn from the situations of others. At the conclusion of the training, we were challenged to write our own leadership philosophy. Mine can be summed up in one phrase: Cura Personalis. I'm always proud to represent the 'Phins and our Jesuit values."

Much of the workshop took place in small group "color teams" of around 20 student-athletes. These teams allowed for enhanced engagement with a guided leadership-centric curriculum and transparent, open dialogue. Each color team was led by a college athletics administrator, who facilitated a wide variety of sessions to help participants explore their leadership identity and the qualities that make their leadership DNA unique.

A key emphasis of the training was placed on fostering meaningful relationships among program participants. The color team model was designed to promote authenticity and transparency, helping participants feel comfortable to share, reflect and grow together. 

On the track this Spring, Snell finished in the top-four in three of her four races. In the second meet of the year, she recorded a fourth-place finish in the 800-meter run at the Redhawk Invitational. A week later, she placed fourth in the 400-meter hurdles at the Cortland Classic. She closed out the season with a third-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles in a career-best 1:29.38 at the Cortland Conference Qualifier.