Chris Sloneker is a junior at Wittenberg University juggling academics, athletics and being involved as a leader on campus.
Sloneker, a biology and business management double major from Monroe, Ohio, can be found in the athletic training room as a clinical worker, serving as a supplemental instructor for business statistics and leading Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) as the current president. He has also served as the student representative on the Committee for Sport Policy and Recreation.
“I came to Wittenberg because I enjoy the small community feel and have the ability to get involved in a multitude of activities,” Sloneker said. “I also liked the winning tradition and attitude of the basketball team.”
SAAC serves as the voice of student-athletes, and acts as the intermediate between them and administration.
If concerns come up among sports teams, representatives can bring it up in SAAC meetings, and then bring it up individually with Gary Williams, Wittenberg’s athletic director.
After serving for the first time as a men’s basketball representative on SAAC last year, Sloneker earned the title of president subsequent to an organization election, and has made his goal to boost non-athlete attendance at sporting events.
He especially wants to integrate Greek life and athletics — two large groups on campus. Ideally, athletes could show support at Greek events, and members of Greek life could support athletic competitions in return.
“I want to build lasting relationships with other organizations on campus so that student life can be even more of a community feel than it already is,” Sloneker said.
As a 6’10” center and post position player for the Wittenberg Men’s Basketball, Sloneker is eager to start his third season on varsity. He predicts a lot of victories for the team’s 2016-2017 season.
“I think that we are going to be really good this year. Like really good,” he said. “We have a new head coach, Matt Croci, who is going to boost competitiveness and intensity at practice and games.”
Croci, former assistant athletic director and associate head coach last season for the Tigers, will be coaching a team made up of 11 returning letter winners. Among the 11, many of them have multiple letters, meaning a lot of experience, which Sloneker said will also be a key determinant of their success.
There are a lot of things that Sloneker likes about Wittenberg, but his favorite part is having the opportunity to be a student-athlete.
“I like the sense of genuineness among athletes at Wittenberg,” he said. “Other athletes are always asking how practices are going, how your game went, and they can relate if you’re going through a rough patch in your sport.”
After graduating from Wittenberg, Sloneker plans to attend graduate school for either business administration, hospital administration or public health. If he does not attend graduate school right away, he wants to work in some type of healthcare environment.
“I currently work at a nursing home and absolutely love it, so if I could work in some type of management position in a hospital or nursing home, that would be the goal,” Sloneker said.
