SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) spearheaded an initiative for Union varsity teams to participate in a nationwide Yards for Yeardley effort, with teams joining together to run, walk, bike, swim and row at least 1,000,000 yards throughout the month of February.
 
Nearly half of Union's 26 varsity teams reached the million-yard goal, as did members of the Athletic Department staff that also joined in the effort. All together, Union student-athletes, coaches and staff members ran, walked, biked, swam and rowed a combined 19,884,777 yards (11,298 miles) during the four-week challenge.
 
"This year one of the initiatives for the Student Athletic Advisory Committee was to focus on the One Love Foundation," said Union SAAC president and women's lacrosse player Bri Stout. "We were able to do this by participating in Yards for Yeardley, which raised awareness about healthy relationships, and also by holding two escalation workshops, which allowed students to engage in a conversation around healthy and unhealthy relationships. Both Yards for Yeardley and the escalation workshops were fantastic ways to raise awareness for the foundation and stress the importance of healthy relationships to the Union community."  

Not surprisingly, the Union men's and women's cross country and track teams led all Union squads by traversing more than 4.9 million yards (2,796 miles) through the month, followed by the Athletic Department staff finishing the month with 1,788,218 yards (1,016 miles). In addition, the men's basketball, men's crew, men's hockey, men's lacrosse, field hockey, women's golf, women's hockey and women's soccer teams all reached septuple digits as well in February.
 
Yards for Yeardley was started in December 2014 by student-athletes on the Boston College and University of Virginia lacrosse teams to support The One Love Foundation, whose mission is to end relationship abuse by educating young people about healthy and unhealthy relationships. The organization was founded by Sharon and Lexie Love in honor of their daughter and sister Yeardley, a lacrosse player at the University of Virginia who was killed in an act of relationship violence.  

"The One Love Foundation is an amazing program that promotes how to love better," said Stout. "The resources that the One Love Foundation offers provide individuals with the ability to spread, learn, and engage in a conversation around healthy and unhealthy relationships, and ultimately engage in healthy relationship habits."
 
For more information on the effort, visit https://www.joinonelove.org/act/yards-for-yeardley/