BEREA, Ohio –  The Baldwin Wallace University athletics department and all NCAA Division III institutions are celebrating Division III Week from Monday, April 3 through Sunday, April 9, 2017. For more information on Division III Week CLICK HERE 

"Division III Week is a great opportunity to highlight all the accomplishments and involvement of our student-athletes," said Director of Athletics Kris A. Diaz. "Many of our teams and individuals have been recognized for their athletic success within the conference or nationally but also many perform within the classroom and other areas on campus at the highest levels.  It's a time to recognize all the ways in which our student-athletes, individually and as a group, contribute to the betterment of BW." 

Part of the mission of Division III athletics is to create an enviroment on our campus that embraces academics as its first priority and athletics as a part of the educational experience of our student-athletes and not apart from it.  BW has outstanding academics and athletics. In fact, BW has had more of its student-athletes selected for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors than any other Division III school in Ohio.

In terms of academics, the top Yellow Jacket men's team is its outstanding men's tennis team, currently 10-2 overall, with a 3.499 cumulative grade point average. The women's basketball team, which annually competes for an OAC title and an NCAA Div. III Tournament berth, is the top women's program with a 3.523 grade average.  BW sponsors 23 varsity sports with the grade point average of all of its student-athletes at an outstanding 3.371 overall.  The top student-athletes are sophomore wrestler Nick Sbrocco (Perry) with a 3.964 grade average, junior baseball player Spencer Badia (Bellaire) with a  perfect 4.0 grade average and Division III All-American and CoSIDA Academic All-American Erin Kasper (Amherst/ Marion Steele) is the top senior with a perfect 4.0 grade average.

Later this month, BW also will honor one of its past CoSIDA Academic All-Americans in current Head Men's Tennis Coach and 1989 graduate Brian Rector. Brian, who earlier this year won his 500th career match, is the winningest active Division III coach in the country. As a BW senior in 1988-89, Brian received Academic All-America honors. He also led BW to an OAC title and into the second round of the NCAA Division III National Tournament in 2011-2012.

During the entire week, Student-Athlete Servives (SA) and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will be encouraging all BW students, faculty, administration, staff and friends of the University to attend one or all of the seven home events the week.  They are:

Tuesday, April 4:  Baseball hosts Allegheny (Pa.) at 4 p.m.

Wednesday, April 5: Baseball hosts Adrian (Mich.) at 4 p.m.

Wednesday, April 5:  Women's Lacrosse hosts Heidelberg at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, April 7:  Women's Tennis hosts Mount Union at 3:30

Friday, April 7:  Softball hosts a doubleheader with Hiram at 3:30 and 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 8:  Men's Lacrosse hosts Capital at 1 p.m.

Saturday, April 8: Baseball hosts a doublehaeder with Marietta at 1 and 3 p.m.

In addition this Saturday, SA Servives is combining with SAAC to support a pair of events on campus with refreshments and food.  At the 1 p.m. men's lacrosse match versus Capital University on Tressel Field at The George Finnie Stadium, SA Services and the SAAC will serve hot chocolate to all students who attend the game and cheer on the Yellow Jackets.  Then, between games of the BW versus Marietta College baseball doubleheader at Fisher Field, A Services at the SAAC will provide hotdogs.