NORFOLK, Va., Sept. 30, 2021 – The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) proudly celebrates Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month, recognizing the student-athletes, coaches and administrators who hail from Hispanic and Latinx countries.
Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month spans from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.
According to the
NCAA’s Demographic Database, there are currently 109 student-athletes either from Hispanic or Latinx countries, or of descent from those nations.
“As a Latina, it’s very gratifying to know that the MEAC is celebrating the Hispanic Heritage Month for the first time ever,” Coppin State volleyball student-athlete Ashley Roman, the 2021 MEAC Preseason Player of the Year who hails from Puerto Rico, said. “There is a huge amount of Hispanic student-athletes representing this conference with pride. Most of us have gone through many obstacles in order to make it up to this collegiate level knowing that we come from our respective countries. This is why it is an honor to see the MEAC getting involved and celebrating our roots. I hope that the MEAC Hispanic and Latinx student-athlete community keeps expanding and that this celebration keeps on every year.”
Hispanic countries are: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Latin American countries are: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadaloupe, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
For more information on Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month, please view
this guide from the NCAA. The four-page Hispanic Heritage Month resource guide created by the NCAA is designed for those who want "to celebrate, center and champion" Hispanic/Latinx heritage but may not know where to begin. It outlines several ways to begin or bolster support for Hispanic/Latinx communities, such as exploring Hispanic/Latinx history and creating a platform for Hispanic/Latinx athletes and staff to be heard.
About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is in its 51st year of intercollegiate competition with the 2021-22 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of eight outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University.