Tuesday, January 5, 2021

INDIANAPOLIS – Central Washington University and Simon Fraser University are among 29 national finalists for the 2021 NCAA Division II Award of Excellence, honoring outstanding community outreach and engagement efforts across the division.

The award, established in 2016, recognizes Division II institutions and conferences that put on events designed to promote student-athletes giving back and serving as leaders within their communities. The activities can include student-athlete leadership development, educational programming, military appreciation and programs promoting Division II’s partnerships with Make-A-Wish and Team IMPACT.

For their selection as finalists, both institutions will receive a $500 award to use towards other SAAC initiatives or community engagement activities. The 2021 Division II Award of Excellence national winner will be recognized virtually during the Division II business session on Jan. 15 at the 2021 NCAA Convention. The top-three national finalists will receive awards ranging from $1,000 to $2,500.

Simon Fraser, the conference finalist from the GNAC, was selected for its ongoing relationship with Special Olympics Coquitlam. Titled “Building Inclusive Communities,” student-athlete volunteers coach weekly fitness classes for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The workouts consisted of five to 10 student-athletes leading the Special Olympians through a warmup, standing cardiovascular exercise, mat exercises and a cooldown. The effort culminated in a showcase featuring Special Olympians at a Simon Fraser women’s basketball game in February where nearly $1,000 (CDN) was raised for Special Olympics.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the relationship has continued virtually. During the fall 2020 semester, volunteer positions were filled by student-athletes within days and a volunteer waitlist was established.

Central Washington, one of six at-large finalists, was recognized for its “Votes For Change” initiative, which focused on awareness of social justice issues, voter education and voter registration. On Sept. 17, members of the CWU football team organized a social justice march from campus to downtown Ellensburg. Student-athletes from 15 Wildcats’ sports teams participated in the peaceful, socially-distanced march, which was coordinated with local government officials and Ellensburg police. Following the march, Ellensburg mayor Bruce Tabb invited several student-athletes to take part in a community focus group addressing inclusion.

The initiative continued with a voter education Zoom seminar hosted by Central Washington’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. The athletic department and SAAC also created a web-based voter education site designed to promote social engagement and assist student-athletes in registering to vote.

This year marks the second time that both Central Washington and Simon Fraser have been named as finalists in the program. Central Washington was an Award of Excellence finalist in 2017 and Simon Fraser was the conference finalist in 2019.