Wesleyan College Athletics Celebrates Inaugural NCAA DIII Week

MACON, Ga. – As a member institution of the NCAA’s Division III athletics program, Wesleyan College is joining with 441 other colleges and universities across the country to celebrate student-athletes and their role in non-scholarship athletics. The NCAA has declared the week of April 9-15 Division III Week.

At the Division III level, student-athletes play for the love of the game and are not granted athletic scholarships. According to www.ncaa.org, “Division III athletics provides a well-rounded collegiate experience that involves a balance of rigorous academics, competitive athletics, and the opportunity to pursue the multitude of other co-curricular and extra-curricular opportunities offered on Division III campuses… Division III features student-athletes who are subject to the same admission standards, academic standards, housing, and support services as the general student body. The integration of athletics with the larger institution enables student-athletes to experience all aspects of campus life.”

Nearly 40% of all NCAA collegiate athletes compete at the Division III level. About 80% of the schools competing at this level are private universities with smaller enrollments, which results in a significant percentage of the student body population becoming involved in athletics. At Wesleyan, there are currently 54 athletes on campus, nine of which play two or more sports, which comprises 17% of the traditional student body population.

Wesleyan College abides by and embraces the Division III athletics philosophy. Many of the school’s athletes hold leadership positions in clubs and organizations on campus in addition to excelling in the classroom. Through the fall and winter sport seasons, 11 Wesleyan student-athletes have been named to the Great South Athletic Conference Academic All Conference team for their given sports, which requires a 3.25 grade point average for those athletes who are a sophomore or older.

This week, Wesleyan athletics will feature both softball and tennis home events. The softball team will host Agnes Scott College Tuesday afternoon for a doubleheader beginning at 5:00pm, while the tennis team will take on Huntingdon College on Sunday morning at 10:00am. Please join us in supporting these ladies who dedicate their time to representing Wesleyan in athletics for the love of the game.