Junior Shane Manieri (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College) is well aware of the mental health struggles that plague student-athletes across collegiate athletics and he is set on using his own experiences and the resources at Gettysburg College to help uplift others who might be struggling during these challenging times.
 
When the NCAA conducted a study involving 37,000 student-athletes last May, it found mental health concerns were 150% to 250% higher than that historically reported in the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment. The figures have not improved as the annual Healthy Minds Study revealed 60% of the 33,000 students polled during the fall semester indicated they needed help for emotional or mental health distress in the past 12 months.
 
With mental health becoming a focus of well-being initiatives across college campuses, Manieri is one of several student-athletes leading that charge at Gettysburg. Last year, the mathematical economics major joined the newly created Student-Athlete Impact Leader (SAIL) program in an effort to raise up well-being for all student-athletes.
 
"I wanted to get involved with SAIL to be a resource for athletes who are struggling with anxiety both on and off the field," said Manieri. "I experienced a traumatic elbow injury many years ago that led to having some anxiety-related issues with my throwing and for a long time I was not in a great state of mind. I had to try many different methods and techniques in order to throw with confidence again. I want other student-athletes to know that anxiety on the field can happen for many different reasons, but that it is possible to push through it and still find a way to enjoy the sport."
 
Manieri along with representatives from each of Gettysburg's 24 intercollegiate varsity programs from the nucleus of SAIL. The program's mission is to provide education beyond the classroom to help our athletes grow physically, mentally, emotionally and socially in and out of the competitive environment. For the baseball junior, mental health was a big part of why he wanted to be involved in SAIL.
 
When he was dealing with the anxiety and stress from his elbow injury, Manieri developed a series of coping mechanisms and routines to help him rebuild his confidence. These techniques included repeating short phrases while playing and engaging in breathing exercises to slow down his heart rate. Ultimately, one of the best methods he found in combating anxiety was stepping into the batter's box and embracing the joy that comes with playing his sport.
 
"I think mental health is the most important component of well-being by far for collegiate student-athletes," noted the junior outfielder. "Making sure that your mental health is where it needs to be will allow you to keep working hard and will give you the best opportunity for success."
 
Manieri has been a vocal leader amongst the group of student-athletes and he has branched out beyond mental health issues. This year, he is one of several student-athletes focusing on career and academic well-being and bringing resources and information on those topics to the larger student-athlete body. Manieri, football junior Matt Lajoie (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape), lacrosse junior Maddi Seibel (Newtown, Pa./Pennington School), field hockey senior Megan Kratz (Robbinsville, N.J./Robbinsville), and senior basketball player Meredith Brown (Landisburg, Pa./West Perry) all teamed up to create a 20-minute video presentation detailing the plethora career and academic resources on the Gettysburg campus.
 
Manieri's work on campus with SAIL led to his selection as Gettysburg's representative to the Centennial Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). As Gettysburg's SAAC rep, Manieri can take the lessons and information from Gettysburg and share those with conference peers. The group discusses ideas for fundraising and community engagement and discusses the impact of new NCAA rules and regulations, some of which will undoubtedly concern student-athlete well-being.
 
While the junior has chosen to be involved in the process of spreading well-being across the athletics department, he has not forgotten about his own personal health and giving back to the community is a big part of that. He remains steadfast in his commitment to not only help those in need on campus, but also in the community, joining with his fellow baseball teammates for the annual Take ALS Yard campaign and helping his fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, raise funds for The LiveLikeLou Foundation.
 
"I believe that there's nothing more important than giving back to the community," noted Manieri. "My family instilled in me Christian values and has always encouraged me to help those in need. In addition, my high school's motto was 'enter to learn, leave to serve.'"
 
In 2020, Manieri saw his sophomore season cut short after just eight games because of the pandemic. At the time, the Bullets were off to a hot start with six wins and the lefty outfielder was mashing the ball with a .526 batting average, nine runs, and seven RBI. Since then, Manieri has filled the void of sports with a range of extracurricular activities, all designed to help others, but the tides have changed with the Centennial Conference's announcement endorsing spring competition and the junior is more than ready to join his teammates and head back out to Kirchhoff Field to play.
 
"Despite our unique circumstances this year, my personal goals and the team goals have remained the same," stated Manieri. "Our focus is on building a team that can win, and it all starts with building team chemistry, especially with having a lot of young guys on the roster. We are of course going to be as competitive as we can be, but I see this year as an important growth year for the team. I also want to make this season a memorable one for the seniors. They deserve it."