CLEVELAND - The National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators
(NADIIIAA) announced Thursday Shenandoah University as a recipient of the NADIIIAA Community Service Awards in the Special Olympics Category for the 2020-2021 academic year.
The awards program, established in 2001, recognizes projects in three categories: One-Time Activity, and Array of Projects, and Special Olympics Activity.
The Hornets have hosted weekly virtual workouts since January 2021 for the Area 13 Special Olympians.
Each week, a different team would design and lead the virtual workouts related to their sports, with a focus on keeping the Area 13 athletes active and moving while local Special Olympics activities were canceled due to COVID-19.
Approximately 225 Hornets have participated in the project over the past year. The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) developed, organized, and carried out the project in conjunction with members of the local Special Olympics community.
"I am so proud of our student-athletes for all their hard work with the Area 13 Special Olympians," said SAAC supervisor Coach
Ashley Smeltzer-Kraft. "They have gone above and beyond to provide programming and to help keep everyone active, while also forming lasting bonds with the local athletes."
Shenandoah will be recognized at the NADIIIAA reception sponsored by eTeamSponsor taking place in conjunction with the NCAA Convention on Friday, Jan. 21. In addition to presenting commemorative awards to the three winning institutions, NADIIIAA will make a contribution to the general scholarship fund at each winning institution.
"I love that our student-athletes have been able to find a way to impact our community during a time where in-person engagement is limited," said Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
Dr. Bridget Lyons. "This award is really meaningful to us because of the relationship between DIII and the Special Olympics as our official community partner."
2020-21 NADIIIAA Community Service Award recipients:
One-Time Project Category
Winner: Haverford College
Runner-up: Williams College
Third place: Springfield College
An Array of Projects Category
Winner: Stevens Institute of Technology (Stevens)
Runner-up: East Texas Baptist University
Third place: Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
Special Olympics Activity Category
Winner: Shenandoah University
Runner-up: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW)
Third place: Bates College
-- SU & NADIIIAA contributed to this release. --
About NADIIIAA: NADIIIAA athletics administrators from over 350 institutions and conferences competing at the NCAA Division III level. The Association encourages the continued development of athletics programs focused on the student-athlete and based on sound educational principles and the Division III philosophy. NADIIIAA is administered by NACDA, which is in its 55th year. For more information on NACDA, the 17 professional associations and/or three foundations it manages, please visit www.nacda.com.
