INDIANAPOLIS – Lees-McRae Athletics was selected as a finalist for the 2024 NCAA Division II Award of Excellence this afternoon through Lees-McRae men's and women's swimming's partnership with the YMCA of Avery County. The Bobcats provided a free program, SPLASH, which offers swim lessons to all Kindergarten and Second Grade students of Avery.
"The SPLASH program is vital in the community because in Avery County about 30% of its residents live at or below the poverty line," said Erica Shingleton, Director of Recreation YMCA of Avery County. "Many families would not be able to afford these lifesaving skills. With serving such a large number of kids the YMCA of Avery County relies on the help of volunteers to run smoothly and effectively. The Lees-McRae Swim Team has volunteered time to help the children of Avery County learn to become confident and strong swimmers, as well as helping them understand the importance of water safety".
During SPLASH, the kids built their confidence in the water by becoming stronger swimmers, learning basic self-rescue skills, and learning how to help other swimmers in distress safely.
Twenty-five schools and two conferences were named finalists for the 2024 NCAA Division II Award of Excellence, an accolade recognizing initiatives in the past year the exemplify the Division II philosophy, community engagement and student-athlete leadership.
Lees-McRae was picked as the official Conference Carolinas finalist through their efforts with SPLASH and UNC Pembroke joining the Bobcats as the award's finalists. Lees-McRae has been honored as an Award of Excellence finalist in three of the last seven years, with recognitions earned in 2017 and 2020.
"This honor for both Lees-McRae and UNC Pembroke is another fantastic showcase that highlights the types of institutions we have in Conference Carolinas," Conference Commissioner Chris Colvin said. "It's always our goal in Conference Carolinas to help our member institutions fulfill their missions and to help them build champions in body, mind and soul. Both of these first-class institutions always go above and beyond in all areas, and we are truly thankful to see them recognized for their efforts in this way."
Division II honors its members each year for conducting events that promote student-athletes giving back and serving as leaders within their communities or on their campuses. A committee of athletics administrators determined this year's finalists, and the national Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee selected the top three finalists, who will be announced at the Division II business session on Jan. 13 at the 2024 NCAA Convention in Phoenix.
Each finalist will receive $500. In addition, the winner will receive $2,500, the first runner-up will receive $1,250 and the second runner-up will receive $1,000. All prize money is intended to be used for future SAAC initiatives or community engagement events.
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