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GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Friday that Virginia Tech men’s swimmer Brandon Fiala has been selected as one of three ACC student-athlete representatives to participate as a member of the voting delegation at the 2017 NCAA Convention.

Fiala joins two other athletes from the ACC in Duke’s Madison Granger (track and field) and Florida State’s Wilson Bell (football) as the conference’s representatives. The NCAA Division I Board of Directors voted in August of 2014 to restructure how schools and conferences govern themselves, paving the way for student-athletes to have a voice – and a vote – at every level of decision-making. A council, established as part of that process, is responsible for day-to-day operations of the division and includes two seats for student-athletes, two for faculty and four for commissioners.

“The student-athlete voice has never been more important as we continue to prioritize their experience and well-being,” ACC Commissioner John Swofford said. “Madison, Wilson and Brandon will be valuable additions to our governance process, and we look forward to having them at the table.”

The new model also granted flexibility to schools in the Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Southeastern Conferences to change rules for themselves in a list of specific areas within Division I. The legislative process for these 65 schools includes the three student-athlete representatives from each conference who vote on rule changes.

“Brandon has embraced this responsibility and will do an excellent job representing Virginia Tech and his fellow ACC student-athletes in this new era of NCAA governance,” Virginia Tech Athletic Director Whit Babcock said. “As the son of two former NCAA student-athletes and the brother of another, Brandon brings a unique and valuable perspective to this role. We're proud of him and honored to have a Hokie appointed to this important and significant leadership position."

Fiala is just one of 15 student-athletes who will represent a total 65 universities from the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac 12 and SEC. Each conference only has three student-athlete representatives. The three ACC members will also be invited to attend various ACC governance meetings.

“I am very excited for the opportunity to represent the ACC student-athletes on the national issues impacting us,” Fiala said. “It is a huge honor to be selected from such a qualified group of applicants. I hope to make sure our student-athletes’ needs and opinions are voiced and heard.”

Fiala has won two medals (one gold, one bronze) at the past two ACC Swimming & Diving Championships and placed among the top five in five events at the 2015 ACC Championships in Atlanta. He has twice been selected to the All-ACC Swimming and Diving Academic Team, and was a member of the Virginia Tech Athletic Directors’ Honor Roll in both 2014 and 2015. He is a member of Tech’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and his volunteer service includes work with elementary school reading programs in the Blacksburg area. Fiala is a junior from Centreville, Va., and double-majors in finance and accounting.

“I would like to congratulate Brandon on this prestigious opportunity,” Tech swimming and diving head coach Ned Skinner said. “He represents everything our great university is all about and I know he will do a fine job in this role.”

The three are the second group of student-athletes chosen to represent the ACC in the NCAA Autonomy process. Clemson’s Patrick Andrews (baseball), Notre Dame’s Kaila Barber (track and field) and Pittsburgh’s Artie Rowell (football) served the inaugural terms.

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