In its first provisional membership year as a part of the USA South Conference (NCAA Division III,) Brevard College ranked 4th in the 2017-2018 USA South Academic All – Conference honors. In order to be recognized, honorees had to earn at least a 3.30 GPA in each semester. Those who earned at least a 3.90 GPA in each semester, collected honors “With Distinction.”
One hundred and seven of Brevard College’s 2017-2018 student athletes were recognized this inaugural year, with over 27% (or 29 student athletes) honored “With Distinction.” Approximately 60% of all BC students participate on at least one of the more than 20 team sports.
“This is just further validation,” states Brevard College President Dr. David Joyce, “that the move to Division III was the right one for us. NCAA’s DIII philosophy is more aligned with the College mission of providing an experiential education, with part of that experience including sports and not the other way around.”
According to Myranda Nash, BC’s new Athletic Director, “The biggest difference is that Division III has no athletic scholarships. All students have access to the same financial aid opportunities regardless of whether they play a sport. Student athletes don’t play and practice year-round in Division III like they do in other divisions, which allows them time to engage in intensive learning opportunities during the off-season. NCAA DIII also aligns Brevard College with institutions similar in size, and will enhance the overall student experience,” Nash said.
Founded in 1963 as Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, USA South is one of the oldest Division III conferences in the nation. In the beginning, six founding member institutions determined the basis for the new athletic conference to be that participation would be strictly amateur, and thus no athletically awarded financial aid or athletic scholarships would be awarded. That philosophy still exists today.
Presently, the Conference features 19 institutions, eight in North Carolina, five in Georgia, three in Virginia, one in Alabama, one in Tennessee and one in Kentucky.
Brevard College is committed to an experiential liberal arts education that encourages personal growth and inspires artistic, intellectual, and social action. To learn more, visit brevard.edu, bctornados.com, “like” Brevard College on Facebook, follow @BrevardCollege on Twitter, and bctornados on Instagram.