Eric Panetta loves to crush it on the basketball court and the soccer field in front of roaring crowds. Since 2013, Panetta has participated as a Special Olympics New Jersey athlete with Rowan University’s Special Olympics Unified Sports intramural leagues.
When Cassandra Contigiani was a freshman in high school, she witnessed her first Special Olympics unified event at the New Hampshire high school girls soccer tournament.
Special Olympics celebrated its 50th anniversary in July 2018. In honor of this occasion, DIII SAAC challenged all Division III institutions to have at least 50 student-athletes participate in one or more Special Olympics events between August 2018 and April 2019. The results are in and Division III SAAC could not be prouder of its student-athletes, institutions and conferences.
As of April 30, 2019, 53 institutions reported completing the 50 for 50th Special Olympics Challenge. Those institutions are:
Allegheny College
Beck College
Bryn Athyn College
Carthage College
Case Western Reserve University
Catholic University
Concordia University Chicago
Denison University
DeSales University (DeSales)
Eastern Nazarene College
Elizabethtown College
Emory University
Fairleigh Dickinson University, Florham
Geneva College
Goucher College
Gustavus Adolphus College
Hamline University
Haverford College
Hollins University
Illinois College
Juniata College
King's College (Pennsylvania)
Lake Forest College
Marietta College
Marymount University (Virginia)
Misericordia University
Mitchell College
Moravian College
Oberlin College
Ohio Wesleyan University
Olivet College
Penn State University Abington
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
Rochester Institute of Technology
Shenandoah University
Smith College
Springfield College
St. John's University (Minnesota)
St. Norbert College
State University of New York at Oswego
Susquehanna University (Susquehanna)
Thomas College
University of Lynchburg
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
University of the Ozarks (Arkansas)
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Vassar College
Waynesburg University
Wells College
Wesleyan University (Connecticut)
Westminster College (Pennsylvania)
Worcester State University
Each of these institutions will receive a token of appreciation from Division III SAAC. Additionally, DeSales, RPI and Susquehanna reported the highest percentage of participation by student-athletes and will face off during the May Spotlight Poll for the grand prize. Please visit the Division III Special Olympics website to vote for your favorite activity.
This form should be completed and submitted by every conference or campus that contributes to the Special Olympics – Division III partnership. The intent of this form is to document the efforts of Division III student-athletes to the...
This form should be completed and submitted by every Division III Championship manager that activates the Special Olympics – Division III partnership during the course of a championship event. The intent of this form is to document the...
Wheaton College earned the Division III Special Olympics Spotlight award for November 2014 after pledging to “Spread the Word to End the Word”, a national campaign to end the derogatory use of the "R" word.
The Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) initiated the partnership at the 2011 NCAA Convention and officially launched the partnership on August 1, 2011. The purpose of the partnership is to enhance the lives of Division III student-athletes and Special Olympics athletes through a mutual learning experience; provide a platform for recognition of Special Olympics athletes and Division III student-athletes within their communities; and raise awareness of Special Olympics, its programs and services.
Through this partnership, Division III student-athletes across the country are encouraged to participate in existing Special Olympics events, create their own events, or otherwise serve to support Special Olympics organization. The activities pursued by student-athletes will vary in each state and region, tailored to best utilize the student-athletes' time and local resources. Service activities with Special Olympic athletes range from unified events to sports clinics to bowling as well as pizza parties or fundraising efforts.
This partnership provides the opportunity for student-athletes to engage with Special Olympics and collaborate with existing student-led programs on campus. It also serves as another opportunity to demonstrate the citizenship and comprehensive learning attributes of Division III student-athletes. Student-athletes giving back to their local (and often national and international) communities not only adds to the comprehensive learning component of Division III, but also provides a venue for passion and service
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