SLIAC Schools Celebrate Inaugural DIII Week
St. Louis, Mo. – The NCAA has tabbed April 9-15 as the inaugural Division III Week, and the schools within the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) are each choosing to celebrate in their own unique way.
Division III week is a celebration of the division's unique philosophy that equally values academics, athletics and student-athletes' involvement in a full and rich campus life. Below is a sampling of what will be celebrated within the SLIAC this week.
Blackburn College - In conjunction with the baseball doubleheader against Greenville on Saturday, April 14, the Beavers will host a youth baseball clinic following the games for youth ages 6-13. The clinic will be directed by head baseball coach Mike Neal, and he will be assisted by members of his team. Student-athletes taking a publicity/promotions class will also assist with the marketing, publicizing, registration and concessions for the event.
Greenville College - The Panthers have plans to recognize all of their All-Academic team members in between games one and two of their softball doubleheader versus Fontbonne on Thursday, April 12. They are also hoping to transmit the audio message from NCAA President Mark Emmert's video as the introduction to their celebration.
Principia College - The SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) at Principia created a video to display on digital signage around campus and will be available on the athletics website as well. Student-athletes also will have the opportunity to hand out custom invitations with the DIII logo and DIII week information on them to faculty, personally inviting them to home games for the week. Posters of athletes who are in the "4.0 Club" will hang in the main eating/gathering area of the school, while other posters celebrating award winners from this year will line the hallways of the athletic center. Any fans attending Principia home games on Tuesday, April 10, will be treated to cupcakes, and on Friday, April 13, Principia students, faculty and staff will be treated to a cake made with the NCAA DIII logo! Posters of athletes who are in the "4.0 Club" will hang in the main eating/gathering area of the school, while other posters celebrating award winners from this year will line the hallways of the athletic center.
Spalding University - In addition to posting daily DIII trivia questions on their Athletics Facebook page, student-athletes representing all of the Golden Eagles' teams will be participating in an annual parade that the University and community hold. Spalding will also be hosting a cookout during their baseball doubleheader against Fontbonne on Saturday, April 14, for all students, faculty and staff, while also recognizing this year's athletic award recipients, including Academic All-Conference honorees.
Westminster College (Mo.) - Wednesday, April 11, will be "Westminster Wednesday", where there will be an opportunity for a Q&A session with student-athletes, as well as promoting school spirit and introducing the official school colors. On Friday, April 13, the Blue Jays will partner with Enrollment Services in an effort to help with their "Junior Day" and bring more awareness to the DIII identity for those prospective students and their families.
The SLIAC encourages fans to visit each school's athletics website to find out more of the planned activities and celebrations taking place during DIII Week.