Athletes Come Together to Celebrate Being a Part DIII

The Frostburg State University athletic department and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee celebrated NCAA Division III Week for the sixth consecutive year.

NCAA has designated the week of April 2-8 to be Division III Week. Frostburg State joined with other schools across the country to observe and celebrate the impact of the student-athletics on the surrounding community.

As part of Division III’s Identity Initiative, the event was introduced in 2010 with the goal of explaining why schools and student-athletes decided to compete DIII. NCAA emphasizes the classroom as the primary setting for the student-athletes, as a DIII experience can combine rigorous academics with competitive athletics. According to NCAA, Division III is a place where student-athletes can “follow your passions and develop your potential.”

SAAC and the athletic department kicked off the week of events on April 2 with the Bobcat Brawl in the main gym. The event featured various competitions that uncovered hidden talents of student-athletes. Some of the competitions determined which female athlete and male athlete could hula hoop the longest, while another showed which male and female athlete could put on ten T-shirts the fastest.

The next day, April 3, student-athletes participated in Trivia Night, where they worked in their sports teams to answer questions from a variety of categories. Music, Frostburg history, movies, and sports history were among some of the categories that tested the Bobcat athletes’ knowledge.

Wednesday followed as Media Day, were student-athletes got their moment in the spotlight. They were in front of the camera in the Hall of Fame room giving their reasons for choosing Frostburg, their favorite DIII week event, and their best Bobcat roar.

The Bobcat Bath ensued April 5 as the Bobcats took to the pool to compete in a variety of swimming events. The event kicked off with finding out which female team and male team could swim the fastest while pushing a brick across the bottom of the pool. Other events included teams keeping a beach ball completely submerged under the water while swimming it to the next teammate and carrying a teammate over their heads to the pool deck.

The event continued on Saturday as teams were awarded points for attending a home event of their fellow Frostburg student-athletes.

DIII week concluded on Sunday, April 8 with a picnic in the main gym. Student-athletes competed in a dodgeball tournament and Tug-o-War.

The winner of DIII week will be announced at the sports banquet in May.