The Impact of Division III Pacific Lutheran University student-athletes & coaches reflect on what makes D3 special

"To me, Division III means holistic self-discovery, community building, and service leadership. Being a Division III student athlete allows you to discover more about who you are and how you relate to the world outside of your sport,"

Softball & SAAC President Molly House

"Being a Division III student-athlete means balancing academic pursuits with a commitment to sports, fostering discipline, time management skills, teamwork, and resilience. It's about striving for excellence both on and off the field, recognizing the value of sportsmanship, and embracing the opportunity to represent your school with pride,"

-Track & Field's LeBron Smith

"D3 provides the best opportunities for student-athletes to discover who they are, what they can provide to the world, and how to best use their capabilities to enhance the communities they are members of. Simultaneously, they can continue to pursue the sport(s) that they love while forging lifelong friendships and connections,"

-Swimming HC Andrew Lum

"D3 to me is an opportunity for me to continue my athletic career at a university that values academic excellence and an opportunity to grow as a person while being surrounded by amazing people,"

Baseball's Stevan Rodriquez

"Division III means a competitive athletic environment while still focusing on your academic career. It allows you to be a part of a team, make life long connections, and continue to play a sport you love without limiting your potential in your desired career field,"

-Soccer's Carmen Kiewert

"My favorite aspect of being a D3 athlete is feeling seen as a person, that my coaches and teammates understand me on a more profound level. I can have honest conversations with my coaches about my well-being and know that they will take that into consideration. Additionally, the faculty support means a lot. When a professor asks me how a meet went, it shows that they care about me as a student and an athlete. I appreciate D3 because I can be a student and an athlete and both can matter,"

-Cross Country & Track & Field's Annika Deazley

"Division lll means a lots when it comes to balancing your academics and your athletic career. It’s all about being a part of a team working together as a team, and putting a lot of dedication to the sport you play rather than the pursuit of fame or fortune,"

-Football's Keahi Holden

"What makes NCAA DIII unique is the opportunity to truly be a student first while also competing at a high level. You can excel in the classroom, balance other commitments and still have a great experience in athletics,"

-Cross Country HC Adam Frye

"Division Three means I have the opportunity to have a variety of experiences on and off the field. I get the chance to grow as a player and a person. I’ve been able to use that experience to help the younger s guys on the team through tough situations,"

-Soccer's Jordan Ross

"Division 3 is the ability to do the sports I love with the freedom and balance to have a life and interests outside of athletics,"

-Football's Calvin Cummings

"The fact that there are no athletic scholarships means these student athletes make the conscious choice to be a part of it. They have a lot of choices to do things with their time, the fact they make soccer a huge priority in their life says a lot. You always get their "best" at this level in my opinion. We don't pay for their school, they do that through their high academics, jobs, and other means. So when they choose to be a part of our program...the commitment is real,"

-Women's Soccer HC Seth Spidahl

"D3 is the emphasis on the student athletes experience and really seeing and allowing our student athletes to be more than just that,"

-Lacrosse HC Melanie Rizzotti

"Competition in D3 is more than the sport itself, it has taught me the values and importance of working together and bringing teammates up! It has taught me that no matter how big or small you can leave a positive impact on everyone,"

-Track & Field's Garrett Armbruster

"To me D3 means being able to have fun playing soccer at a competitive level while also being able to do other things I enjoy,"

-Soccer's Julia Causbie

"What makes the D3 student-athlete experience unique is the ability to combine academics, athletics and other things around campus such as clubs and organizations for a students to be involved in. Every athlete is not getting an athletic scholarship, therefore they are truly playing for the LOVE of the game, teammates and program,"

-Volleyball HC Kevin Aoki

"The balance for our student athletes. We hold them to a high standard on and off the field without the glitz and glam of the major scholarship level. And they embrace it, for what it makes of them to persist through that student-athlete commitment,"

-Football HC Brant McAdams