CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Exciting off the court news came to the Women's Basketball program prior to its final game before Christmas on Friday involving one of its team leaders.

Junior guard Caia Elisaldez, a native of Whittier, California, is taking on a new adventure as the Women's Basketball Student-Athlete Engagement Group's Liaison to the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Playing Rules Committee. She is one of two Women's Basketball players in the country appointed to this prestigious role.

Elisaldez was first chosen as the Southern Conference's Women's Basketball rep for the Student-Athlete Engagement Group, which led to her finding out about serving on an NCAA committee.

I actually got accepted to the Student Athlete Engagement group first," Elisaldez said. "Once I got into that, I was able to go out on a video conference with all the other girls from the different conferences and talked to a few of the NCAA reps, and then they were, surveying who would be interested in being on the Playing Rules Committee."

"I was interested in being part of the Playing Rules Committee, so I filled out the nomination, but I still had to wait and see if the NCAA accepted it," Elisaldez said. "Then I got the email yesterday saying that I got completely accepted, which was really exciting."

"Caia is very much a hands-on leader and wants to be involved in giving back whenever she gets the chance," said Head Coach Deandra Schirmer. "Through community service or fan engagement, Caia is always one of the best at stepping in and representing our team and our University in the best way. When this opportunity came up for her to serve and help the Women's Basketball Committee in an effort to better our game for everyone, Caia was very excited about it."

Elisaldez will participate in meetings with Coaches and Sport Administrators from across the country. The Rules Committee's purpose is to set playing rules that aim to improve the game's flow, fairness, and player safety. One of the recent rule changes they passed was the Coach's Challenge, allowing certain plays to be video reviewed.

"She has elevated knowledge of the game that will provide great insight for the committee, and she has the leadership qualities to voice her opinion and represent her fellow student-athletes and their concerns as well," Schirmer said.

Her term as Liaison started today and will run through August 16, 2026, with both in-person and virtual monthly meetings scattered throughout the year.

"I'm able to be in the meetings with a bunch of really powerful coaches and there's a lot of women on there. I think it's completely women for the most part," Elisaldez said. "So, it's cool seeing coaches from all over, like Baylor University and UNLV on there. NCAA reps are on there as well."

Caia's role helps the committee understand practical impact of rules on players, leading to better policies for the future of Women's Basketball.

"I think one of my goals is just to make this a better place than I found it. I feel like basketball has taken me a lot of places, and it still has so much growth to do, even though there's so much growing that's already been done throughout the years," Elisaldez said. "So, if I can leave it better for my sister, for other girls that look up to any person playing basketball, that'd be my goal."

On the court, Caia has been a strong player for the Mocs in the 2025-26 season, averaging 15.1 points per game and 5.1 assists per game, ranking inside the top three in both categories in the SoCon.

In the classroom, Caia is working towards a Pre-Med degree and has earned multiple Academic honors during her time in Chattanooga, including the Southern Conference Commissioner's Medal, Academic All-Southern Conference Recognition, Southern Conference Honor Roll, AD's Honor Roll, and the Dean's List.

"As soon as I saw we had the opportunity to nominate someone for this role, I felt Caia would be perfect for it. This role will take on a lot of responsibility, and I am so proud of Caia for stepping up and wanting to take that on," Schirmer said. "My favorite thing about coaching is watching talented young student-athletes develop into strong leaders in our community. Caia has already showcased her strong leadership, and I am excited for her to continue that in this new role."

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