Belmont Abbey Named National Runner-Up for NCAA Division II Award of Excellence

1/15/2021 12:27:10 PM

INDIANAPOLIS – Belmont Abbey was named the national runner-up for the prestigious 2021 NCAA Division II Award of Excellence.

As part of the prestigious honor, Belmont Abbey Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Advisor and women’s volleyball head coach Toni Elyea was featured by NCAA Division II during its official business session as part of the NCAA Convention on Zoom on Friday, Jan. 15, 2021.

The finalist from Conference Carolinas, Belmont Abbey received second-place honors for its Mr. Crusader Pageant where Student-Athlete Advisory Committee members planned, organized and produced the annual event.

The pageant is Belmont Abbey’s largest fundraiser and community engagement event. The student-athletes in the pageant participate in a multitude of events and the audience votes for their favorite student-athlete by donating money to Make-A-Wish. Avery Wilson, a Make-A-Wish recipient who participates each year as a judge, was celebrated for beating cancer.

The pageant broke the event’s previous fundraising record for Make-A-Wish donations. Check out this special video on Mr. Crusader HERE. Learn more HERE.

Belmont Abbey was one of two finalists from Conference Carolinas for the NCAA Division II Award of Excellence with Converse chosen as one of the six at-large representatives.

Converse was chosen as a finalist for its Virtual Nursing Home Visit Video. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals in nursing homes were unable to have visitors. In response to this, Converse student-athletes, coaches and administrators created a video to connect with residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The videos were shared with 25 nursing homes and impacted the lives of many residents. Learn more HERE.

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 campuses. A committee of athletics administrators determined this year’s finalists.

Each finalist received $500. The winner will receive an additional $2,500, while the runner-up will receive $1,250 and third place will receive $1,000. All prize money is intended for future SAAC initiatives or community engagement events.

To learn more and to see all of the finalists for the 2021 NCAA Division II Award of Excellence, please visit HERE. To learn more about this year's winner, please visit HERE.