TRAFFORD, Pa. (pacathletics.org) – The first Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Scholar Athletes of the Month to be recognized in 2026 are senior Madison Nereu from Chatham University and junior Aiden Townsend from Franciscan University.

SAAC Scholar-Athlete of the Month award recognizes two upperclass student-athletes who have earned a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher, compete in a varsity sport, and participate in extracurricular activities on their campuses. These student-athletes exemplify the elite standard of their schools, the PAC, and the SAAC. 

A forward from Beaver, Pennsylvania, Aiden Townsend is the next January SAAC Scholar Athlete of the Month, representing Franciscan and the Barons' men's basketball program.

A junior management major, Townsend maintains a GPA of 3.59, earning him a spot of the PAC Academic Honor Roll twice. 

In the month of January, he helped the Barons go 7-2, while scoring in double figures in three of those victories. On the season, he has played in all 22 games, while starting in 12 of them. He has been a reliable contributor on both ends of the floor for Head Coach Joe Wallace. His 25 blocks are the second-most on the team, and he has shot 44.0% from the floor, which would be a career-best if the season ended today. 

Off the court, Townsend volunteers locally with Urban Mission and other organizations in the downtown Steubenville area. Urban mission volunteers help with meal service, food pantry operations, shelter supports, community events, and numerous outreach projects.

He is the first athlete from Franciscan to earn this honor during this academic year. He joins Olivia Mete, Alison Bryant, Ryan Ozymy, and Jazzlyn Melnyk as the only five Barons to earn this recognition since becoming full members of the PAC for the 2020-21 school year

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