Conference Carolinas and Mount Olive Named Finalists for Division II Award of Excellence
INDIANAPOLIS – The Conference Carolinas league office and the University of Mount Olive have been named finalists for the 2022 NCAA Division II Award of Excellence.
In total, 26 schools and two conferences have been named finalists (Learn more
HERE). The accolade recognizes initiatives in the past year that exemplify the Division II philosophy, community engagement and student-athlete leadership. Six finalists were picked as at-large honorees for submitting a strong nomination that was not chosen as the finalist in their conference.
The Conference Carolinas office is the official nominee from the conference for its Sport Administration Mentor Program, while Mount Olive is an at-large finalist for the men's and women's track & field efforts with their annual cleanup day.
“We are truly humbled and honored that our office, along with Mount Olive, are moving forward as finalists for this prestigious honor,” Conference Carolinas Commissioner Chris Colvin said. “Assistant Commissioner/SWA Jill Robbins has worked to create something special with our Sport Administration Mentor Program and it is great to see this program honored in this way. In addition, to see Mount Olive honored for their efforts in the community is again a strong testament to the above and beyond efforts of our student-athletes and member institutions in the community.”
Launched in 2021, the Conference Carolinas’ Sport Administration Mentor Program connects upperclassmen student-athletes interested in an athletic administration career with a mentor for the academic year. Throughout the academic year, the mentee and mentor network and discuss their field of interest. Mentees also meet with one another.
Mount Olive men's and women's track & field student-athletes collected 200 bags of trash from around town and worked together to connect with the community as part of their annual cleanup day.
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, and the national Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee selects the winner, who will be announced at the Division II business session Jan. 22 at the 2022 NCAA Convention.
Each finalist will receive $500. In addition, the winner will receive $2,500, the first runner-up will receive $1,250 and the second runner-up will receive $1,000. All prize money is intended to be used for future SAAC initiatives or community engagement events.
Last year, Belmont Abbey was named the national runner-up for the NCAA Division II Award of Excellence. 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.
Belmont Abbey was one of two finalists last year 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.
You can learn more about Mount Olive’s efforts
HERE.
To learn more about the Sports Administration Mentor Program from Conference Carolinas as part of last year’s “Conference Carolinas Chats” series, please visit
HERE.
Visit
HERE to learn more about the Division II Award of Excellence.