Central commemorating Division III Week
Central Dutch Athletics
PELLA — Central College is helping recognize “Division III Week” April 2-8.
The annual recognition is part of the NCAA Division III identity initiative which seeks to raise the public profile of Division III institutions as places where student-athletes can “follow your passions and develop your potential.”
Charity drive—To commemorate the week, for the third straight year Central’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) is sponsoring a toiletry drive for the Young Women’s Resource Center in Des Moines. Donated items will be accepted at the check-in desk of the Schipper Fitness Center throughout the week. Donations will also be collected at Central’s home baseball games and men’s tennis meet Thursday and at Central’s home softball games Saturday. Items needed include shampoo, conditioner, razors, tampons, toothbrushes and toothpaste. In addition, the YWRC is also looking for baby items such as wipes and diapers (size newborn, 1 and 5).
An ideal balance—Jess Nelson (sophomore, Greenfield), a member of the Central women’s basketball team and an exercise science major, said she valued the support she’s received in pursuing her academic and athletics goals.
“What I like best about Central College’s approach is how well the coaches and the faculty work together to maintain this environment,” she said. “The professors are always flexible with working around events. The coaches are always understanding when students want to extend their educational experience by studying abroad. Central maintains a great environment for student-athletes wanting to excel in both academics and athletics.”
It’s the right approach for freshman women’s track and field heptathlete Courtney Kruthoff (freshman, Erie, Ill.).
“The balance Central and Division III provides has made me a more well-rounded person,” she said. “Central has allowed me to compete to the best of my ability academically and athletically. I have phenomenal teammates who push me to be my best both on and off the track.”
Central a Division III pioneer—Central’s Division III ties are vast. Retired Central president Kenneth J. Weller authored the first Division III philosophy statement, which advocated that the focus of intercollegiate athletics should be on benefits for the participant rather than the spectator, and that student-athletes be treated no differently than students involved in other cocurricular activities. He was called a “founding father” of Division III by The Intercollegiate Athletic Forum in 1996.
Weller was instrumental in the incorporation of women into the NCAA in the early 1980s and Central won the first women’s national championship ever staged by the NCAA, taking the Division III women’s cross country title in 1981. The Dutch have captured 11 NCAA national team championships overall, winning titles in six sports, starting with the 1974 Division III football title.
“Central is deeply rooted in Division III,” said president Mark Putnam. “The college has provided leadership within Division III throughout its history, starting with Ken Weller, who was an integral part of Division III’s formation, to hall of fame football coach Ron Schipper. Our former dean of students, Marjorie Giles, who was the first female president of the Iowa Conference, also served on the NCAA Council, and many others have led as well.
“We join hundreds of other institutions in celebrating Division III as a place where students truly can follow their passions, participating in nationally competitive athletics programs without sacrificing opportunities to immerse themselves in rigorous academic pursuits, participate in transformative study abroad experiences or pursue any number of other cocurricular activities which offer potential for growth and development.”
Division III is the NCAA’s largest division, with 451 active members representing 43 conferences. More than 80 percent are private institutions and the schools are diverse, with enrollment ranging from 400 to 38,000. The average Division III School enrolls 2,643 students. Division III stages championships in 28 sports. Central offers 19.
More than 190,000 student-athletes compete in Division III, about 39 percent of all those in the NCAA.
