JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville University and North Florida set aside its rivalry Sunday morning to forge a partnership of community service as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAAC) of each school worked together in a cleanup of Jacksonville Beach.

"I think the beach clean-up was a huge success," said Ashley Hirt, a junior on the women's rowing team and JU's current SAAC President. "It was a great opportunity to not only bring the sports teams at JU together, but to also bridge the gap between the rivalry that is JU and UNF. I hope this becomes an annual event that we can carry on in the future."

Nearly 100 student-athletes –representing JU from football, track and field, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's rowing, and men's and women's soccer – signed up. The day's events started with a "human knot" as the Ospreys and Dolphins were randomly grouped together, arms crossed and tangled with the goal of creating a complete circle. Following the success of the team building exercise, all were eager and ready to begin the cleanup. Buckets were distributed and the groups spanned the north and south areas of the beach to give each area a little TLC.

"It was great to see so many JU and UNF student-athletes coming together in such a spirited way to improve our shared community environment," added Jack Burns, a men's soccer sophomore. "It shows how far our SAAC organization has come in such a short period of time."

The mission of the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is to enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting opportunity, protecting student-athlete well-being, and fostering a positive student-athlete image. The SAAC also offers input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes' lives on NCAA member institution campuses.