EDISON, NJ – Siena Swimming & Diving and Water Polo student-athlete GayLynn Kirn was one of three selected to serve as Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Representatives for the 2025 NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum. Elise Barricelli (Quinnipiac) and Kirn are student-athlete selections, while Jack Pinho (Sacred Heart) is representing as an administrator.
 
Kirn was a MAAC All-Academic Team member, a MAAC Academic Honor Roll selection, and was named to the Eastern Athletic Communications Association (EAST-COMM) Academic Honor Roll in 2024-25 for both sports and selected to the ACWPC All-Academic Team (Superior) in water polo. Kirn owns the program record in the 200 freestyle (1:52.74) and has a top 10 time in the 200 backstroke (9th - 2:09.13) in swimming. In water polo, she has appeared in 37 games in two seasons, logging six points on two goals and four assists. Additionally, Kirn recorded 12 steals and eight drawn exclusions.
 
The NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum, created in 1997, has served as a life-changing experience for more than 5,000 student-athletes who have grown personally and professionally due to their attendance. Student-athletes selected to attend the forum return to campus with invaluable leadership skills, a refined understanding of the relationship among personal values, core beliefs and behavioral styles, and the support of a close personal network of like-minded peers to provide continued connection and dialogue after the program concludes. This best-in-class programming experience serves as a transformational opportunity for student-athletes and administrators to build a leadership toolkit and develop vital self-awareness that allows them to realize their potential. 

The NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum will occur in Dallas, Texas from November 20-23. All participating student-athletes must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated a strong desire to lead.

Both participating student-athletes and attending administrators and coaches return from the forum with enhanced leadership capabilities that allow them to thrive personally, professionally and even athletically. They build a family of team members that encourages vulnerability, challenges one another with diverse perspectives, and provides unconditional support during and after the program.

More information about the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum can be found here. 
 
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary's University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena University.
 
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