Indianapolis, IN- Alfred State Athletics takes first-place for the first-time in the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA) Special Olympics, Community Service Award as announced by NADIIIAA Friday Morning.
Each of the selected institutions has been recognized for the impressive community service projects performed by its student-athletes during the 2023-24 academic year.
The awards recognition took place at the NADIIIAA in conjunction with the NCAA Convention on Thursday, January 16, 2025, in Indianapolis. In addition to presenting commemorative awards to the three winning institutions, NADIIIAA made up to a $1,000 contribution to the general scholarship fund at each of these institutions.
The NADIIIAA Community Service Awards program, established in 2001, is intended to recognize the many contributions Division III student-athletes regularly make to their campuses and local communities. Recognition is given for projects in three categories: One-Time Activity/Project, Special Olympics Activity, and Community Partnerships. In addition to presenting commemorative awards to the three winning institutions, NADIIIAA will make up to a $1,000 contribution to the general scholarship fund at each of these institutions.
In addition to the winners, each category had a runner-up and third place finisher(s). The Alfred State Athletic Department's annual Special Olympics event was recognized as the first-place recipient at this year's awards ceremony. This is the first time Alfred State took first, as they received Runner-Up recognition for this event in the past four years.
The Alfred State College Special Olympics Spectacular is an annual event held at Pioneer Stadium on Alfred State College's campus. Run by the Alfred State Athletics Department administrators, coaches, and student-athletes, it has impacted the community in more ways than anyone can quantify. The student-athletes, coaches, and administrators of all the teams at Alfred State look forward to putting their time towards a great cause every year. Over 380 student-athletes, students, along with faculty and staff members participate in either the set-up, running, or break down of the event. Alfred State hosted the largest outings to date last spring, hosting over 300 Special Olympic athletes, from 13 different schools' districts.
Director of Athletics Jason Doviak added, " We are very appreciative of this award recognition from NADIIIAA. Our staff, led by Anne Holmok and Taylor Button, put a lot of time and energy into planning this event because of the impact it has on our community. The athletes who participate really enjoy the experience based on the feedback we receive and cannot wait to compete the following year. Our student-athletes also mention this experience as being memorable and one of their favorite activities to be part of while being a Pioneer. It has truly been an amazing event to participate in annually and we look forward to continuing the tradition in the future".
