Lees-McRae Named Finalist for 2017 Division II Award of Excellence
Lees-McRae Named Finalist for 2017 Division II Award of Excellence
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. – 24 schools and one conference were named finalists for the 2017 Division II Award of Excellence, an accolade recognizing positive campus and community engagement events hosted during the past year. Representing Conference Carolinas was Lees-McRae College.
Each year, Division II selects one finalist from each conference and one independent representative to be recognized for events that exemplify any of the six Division II attributes: learning, balance, resourcefulness, sportsmanship, passion and service. Each finalist will receive $500.
Lees-McRae was named a finalist for its 'Lunch Buddy Program', which saw members of the men's basketball team each lunch once a week with students from Banner Elk Elementary School. The program was part of an initiative to get the Lees-McRae student-athletes more involved with the local elementary school.
Two runner-up recipients and one overall winner will be announced during the Division II Business Session at the 2017 NCAA Convention on Jan. 21 in Nashville, Tennessee. The winner will receive $1,500 and a nationally televised football or basketball game during the 2017-18 season. The first runner-up will receive $1,250, and the second runner-up will receive $1,000. All prize money is expected to be used on future community engagement initiatives
Full NCAA Division II Award of Excellence Release
Lees-McRae Lunch Buddy Program Release
Conference Carolinas is a NCAA Division II athletics conference made up of 12 teams from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. These institutions consist of: Barton College, Belmont Abbey College, Converse College, Emmanuel College, Erskine College, King University, Lees-McRae College, Limestone College, University of Mount Olive, North Greenville University, Pfeiffer University, and Southern Wesleyan University. Emmanuel College is currently completing the NCAA Membership Process and will be fully competing in league championships in the near future.