By Ashley Beaton
Nineteen schools and two conferences have been named finalists for the 2020 Division II Award of Excellence, an accolade recognizing initiatives in the past year that exemplify the Division II philosophy, community engagement and student-athlete leadership.
Division II honors its members each year for conducting events that promote student-athletes giving back and serving as leaders within their communities or on their campus. A committee of athletics administrators determined this year's finalists, and the national Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will select the winner, which will be announced at the Division II business session Jan. 25 at the 2020 NCAA Convention in Anaheim, California.
Each finalist will receive $500. The winner will receive $3,000, the first runner-up will receive $1,500, and the second runner-up will receive $1,250. All prize money is intended for future community engagement events.
The following are the 2020 finalists, alphabetized by conference:
School: UC San Diego
Conference: California Collegiate Athletic Association
Event: IMPACT. The athletics department hosted its first Increasing Movement and Physical Activity in Class Time Field Trip with over 600 students from third grade to sixth grade.
School: Georgian Court
Conference: Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference
Event: Georgian Court goes "Inside Out." The athletics department hosted its first Mental Health Awareness Night working with the campus chapter of Active Minds during a home basketball doubleheader, to help break the stigma of mental illness.
School: Virginia State
Conference: Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Event: Samaritan's Feet International. The Virginia State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee fundraised and distributed shoes and socks to 300 elementary school students in Petersburg, Virginia, at the community event.
School: Lees-McRae
Conference: Conference Carolinas
Event: Afterschool Swim. Swimming student-athletes from Lees-McRae taught Banner Elk Elementary school kids swimming skills in an after-school program that is free of cost for the elementary school students.
School: New York Tech
Conference: East Coast Conference
Event: League of YES. A partnership between New York Tech athletics and the League of YES led to the Bears baseball team being named the League of YES Buddy of the Year and the organization's annual volunteer award being named after the New York Tech student-athlete who introduced the League of YES to the campus.
School: Oklahoma Baptist
Conference: Great American Conference
Event: Bison Buddies. Oklahoma Baptist launched a mentorship program with elementary school children called Bison Buddies. The Oklahoma Baptist athletics department hosted an annual Trunk or Treat for those elementary school kids to enjoy.
School: Wayne State (Michigan)
Conference: Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Event: Christmas for Community. The athletics department gave 19 families from a metro Detroit area elementary and middle school a full Christmas, with gifts that they would otherwise not be able to have.
School: Southern Indiana
Conference: Great Lakes Valley Conference
Event: #CureFA. The Southern Indiana baseball team hosted its annual #CureFA exhibition game to raise money and awareness for Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance, which supports those diagnosed with Friedreich's ataxia.
School: Walsh
Conference: Great Midwest Athletic Conference
Event: Taylor Ceepo Memorial Night. The Walsh women's soccer team and the Ceepo family were involved in over 140 hours of community engagement and raised $4,449 for the Taylor Ceepo Memorial Fund, to continue to support the causes that Ceepo was passionate about (Akron Children's Hospital, Make-A-Wish and organ donation). Ceepo was a friend and recent Walsh graduate who collapsed and died during the 2019 Rite-Aid Cleveland Marathon.
School: Montana State Billings
Conference: Great Northwest Athletic Conference
Event: Pack the House Elementary Day. The Montana State Billings women's basketball team partnered with three local elementary schools for the Yellowjackets' first elementary school game. More than 500 elementary school students attended the game.
School: Texas A&M International
Conference: Lone Star Conference
Event: Building Homes for Heroes. The athletics department celebrated its seventh annual Military Appreciation BBQ by hosting a Building Homes for Heroes party, which raised $3,474 for the organization.
School: Missouri Western
Conference: Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association
Event: Carson's Wish. The athletics department was able to grant a wish for Carson Powell, a Make-A-Wish child, to have a room makeover.
School: West Virginia Wesleyan
Conference: Mountain East Conference
Event: ROAR. Over seven weeks, 54 student-athletes completed 156 hours of community engagement in areas of need at five different community partner sites.
School: American International
Conference: Northeast-10 Conference
Event: Rex's Pantry Garden. Members of the American International Student-Athlete Advisory Committee tended a vegetable garden to help the food desert crisis in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Rex's Pantry Garden provides fresh produce to Rex's Pantry, a college initiative that serves hot meals to Springfield residents in need, as well as neighborhood food distribution locations.
School: Minnesota Duluth
Conference: Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
Event: Military Appreciation Weekend. The Minnesota Duluth football team wore branded helmet decals, purchased by family and friends of military veterans and featuring photos of their loved ones. Families who purchased a decal had the chance to meet the student-athlete who wore their decal. Minnesota Duluth also partnered with the Black Woods Group to raise money for Operation One Voice.
School: Holy Names
Conference: Pacific West Conference
Event: Hawk Mania. The athletics department hosted a wrestling event with three different tag-team matches and hosted a tailgate before the matches. The event raised $10,000 for Make-A-Wish.
School: Lander
Conference: Peach Belt Conference
Event: Monster Bash and Halloween Walk. The Lander Student-Athlete Advisory Committee hosted the Monster Bash and Halloween Walk for the entire Greenwood, South Carolina, community to meet student-athletes and enjoy games, candy and giveaways.
School: Mercyhurst
Conference: Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
Event: Fighting for Folgs. In honor of longtime men's ice hockey equipment manager Mike Folga, who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, the athletics department hosted Fighting for Folgs to raise money for his medical expenses and the American Cancer Society.
Conference: Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Event: Youth Sports Clinic. The RMAC and Mountain West Conference hosted a youth sports clinic, which took place during a two-day event that included a joint meeting of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committees of the Division I and II conferences.
Conference: South Atlantic Conference
Event: Sportsmanship Panel. The South Atlantic Conference hosted an officials panel to start the conversation about changing the culture surrounding officiating. This panel was a part of the annual conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee meeting.
School: Eckerd
Conference: Sunshine State Conference
Event: Christmas for Kids. The men's and women's basketball teams and Athletics Director Tom Ryan helped with the annual Christmas for Kids event by choosing and wrapping children's gifts, serving food to families and interacting with the kids in attendance.
