This week is the 10th annual Division III Week, celebrating the student-athlete experience. We asked our Lute student-athletes what does NCAA Division III mean to them...
“Division III means that I’m able to play competitive sports while getting a full college experience! I’m able to take hard classes, work, be involved with other extra curriculars, study away and more! It has allowed me to grow as a well-rounded person! I’m not just an athlete, just a student, just a musician, just a worker, I’m all those things thanks to PLU!”
– biology major Cailey Collado (softball)
“D3 means pursuing athletics and academics with equal passion and getting support from the university to do both things. It’s developed the way I connect with people more than anything else. Everyone has different ways they want to be encouraged, led, and pushed, so gaining the tools to create relationships with all types of people has been a huge part of my growth at PLU,”
– English literature major Lauren Wilson (women’s volleyball and track & field)
“Playing at the Division III level has allowed me to grow as a person both on and off the field. I have been able to focus on my academics while also having plenty of time to practice and compete. Division III athletics has allowed me to fine tune my leadership skills by giving me different opportunities through workshops and team experiences. PLU also does a great job of offering courses that have a focus on leadership such as Leading Organizational Change which I am currently taking,”
-finance major Ryan Pearson (men’s golf)
“PLU Athletics has helped me to become a really well rounded person and member of the community. I’ve had the ability to volunteer and build connections with others both in and outside the PLU sphere. I’ve learned how to balance components of my life and prioritize relationships above individual achievement. Experiencing community like this at PLU, I feel confident that I can extend that feeling of belonging to others and my future students,”
-Masters of Arts in Education candidate Emma Janousek (women’s basketball)
“I get to be a part of a very competitive team that pushes me to be my best both on and off the water. It’s great to have such an emphasis on our studies. We are students first and athletes second. I think there’s something special about the fact that we don’t get scholarships either, we’re just playing the sports we love because we enjoy it,”
-nursing major Hannah Beach (women’s rowing)
“D3 is being able to play a sport that you grew up playing, competitively at a higher level while also being able to pursue academics in wherever you choose. It has taught me more about myself and about how there's more than just playing a sport. There's being a team leader and or team member there's looking out for others within your community and supporting other's success outside of yours,”
-computer science major Marcus Lee (men’s tennis)
“Division III to me means a great opportunity and time to meet people and grow connections that will last for life. It means making awesome memories and having fun while getting a great education. I feel that I have developed great leadership skills not only in the field but in the classroom as well. It can be hard for someone to step up in a class project that takes place online but with being apart of an amazing sports program I have been able to achieve the qualities of a great leader. Being able to have the courage and speaking for the group is a bug one for me,”
-business major Sam Richardson (baseball)
“Division 3 is a division where we play the sports because we love them. We’re all here for school, and we get the extra luck of being able to have fun playing the sport we love. It has taught me to be a leader in all aspects of life and helped me develop an uncanny level of time-management skills,”
-MBA candidate Joe Stilnovich (men’s track & field)
“Division III, to me, means that I am able to continue playing the sport that I love while also prioritizing academic and career goals. This balance has allowed me to grow as a player and as a student with my teammates and coaches in a supportive environment,”
-global studies and Hispanic studies major Bayley Gochanour (women’s tennis)
“For me, Division III means having the opportunity to pursue all of my interests to the fullest extent. I'm able to play the sport I love at a competitive level, while also having the opportunity to pursue my academic passions and (pre-pandemic) travel the globe. Without the freedom and flexibility DIII provides, I would likely have to give up aspects of my college experience that have enlivened my journey here at PLU,”
-communications and global studies major Vivian Shinall (women’s soccer)
“D3 is the ability to continue playing what you love while chasing your degree. I’ve grown as an individual and teammate. D3 allows for the right amount of time you can spend on yourself and the amount of effort and care professors and coaches provide,”
-criminal justice major Masum Real (football and track & field)
“It means I am able to compete in the activities I am passionate about and to have the opportunity to improve in something that I care a lot about and be around people that share something in common,”
-Geoscience, Anthropology, & Environmental Studies major Sarah Paquet (women’s cross country and track & field)
“Division III means to me I can be a student but also and athlete. I don’t feel the pressure of swim as a job. I have fun swimming and that’s what I like about it. D3 has also given me the opportunity to work with upperclassman and people that have strong leadership roles in the school,”
-nursing major Carson Braddock (men’s swimming)
