GREENVILLE, Pa. – Thiel College will be joining up with the NCAA to celebrate the inaugural Division III Week from April 9 to 15. The College will use the week to recognize the many academic achievements, athletic accomplishments and committed involvement in leadership, community and campus activities of its student-athletes.

"DIII Week provides us with an excellent way to celebrate what our student-athletes strive to achieve on a daily basis. The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has done an outstanding job of preparing and highlighting the achievements of our students. We appreciate all that they have done both in the classroom and on the playing field and look forward to a fun and exciting week," said longtime SAAC advisor and head wrestling coach Craig Thurber.

Tomcat student-athletes have accomplished much on the fields of competition, but their athletic feats do not overshadow the successes they have had within the classroom and the community. Seven of Thiel's varsity athletic programs achieved a team grade-point average of 3.0 or higher during the fall 2011 semester, while each team has completed at least one community service project during the course of the year.

"I'm excited to be a part of Division III Week and think it's going to give our student-athletes a good opportunity to involve themselves in numerous community activities. The SAAC is looking forward to the events we have planned and showing people what being a Division III student-athlete is all about," said SAAC President and senior wrestler / forensic accounting major Kraig Smith.

Throughout DIII Week, marketing and promotions intern Brittany Hill will highlight a standout student-athlete each day, and those interviews will be made available on this page. Monday's featured student-athlete will be football player Tim Taylor.

On Wednesday and Thursday morning, student-athletes will travel to Zion's Reformed United Church of Christ to read to preschoolers and the group anticipates a visit by Tommy the Tomcat on Thursday during its reading session!

Thursday through Saturday, student-athletes will participate in the Greenville Playground Project, a community designed, built and constructed playground in Riverside Park.

Thiel's celebration of DIII Week will conclude on Monday, April 16 with its second annual SAAC Senior Student-Athlete Banquet. The event will honor and recognize the tremendous work and dedication of our senior student-athletes as well as the presentation of Thiel's Top Tomcat Award and the Male and Female Distinguished Student-Athlete of the Year Awards. New to the celebration this year is the SAAC Extra Effort Award, an award voted on by the SAAC and presented to a staff or faculty member who, in his or her dedication to helping Thiel students successfully balance academic and athletic commitments, goes above and beyond in their support of Thiel's student-athletes.

The Senior Student-Athlete Banquet is also where the College recognizes its newest members of Chi Alpha Sigma, the National College Athlete Honor Society. Chi Alpha Sigma is the first national scholar-athlete society to honor those collegiate student-athletes who have excelled in both the classroom and in athletic competition, recognizing college students who receive a varsity letter in their sport while maintaining a 3.4 or higher cumulative GPA throughout their junior and/or senior years. Thiel's Chi Alpha Sigma chapter, designated Pennsylvania's Tau chapter, is the 19th college or university in the Commonwealth selected to join the NCAHS and just the third in the Presidents' Athletic Conference.

The weeklong event is part of Division III's Identity Initiative to show why DIII is the place where student-athletes can "follow your passions and develop your potential."

Photos and video of the week's festivities will be featured on the Thiel College Athletics Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/ThielAthletics.

DIII Week Interviews with Brittany Hill
Monday: Tim Taylor
Tuesday: Kelly Barzak
Wednesday: Corey Brown
Thursday: Trent Mosley

NCAA Division III Week - Message from NCAA President Mark Emmert (video)

Why Choose Division III (video)