Austin College Set to Celebrate Division III Week

The Austin College athletics department is getting set to celebrate NCAA Division III Week, which will run next week from Monday through Friday, officially, though the 'Roos are kicking things off on Sunday with a cookout at 11:00 a.m. at the home tennis matches against Schreiner University.

It's been a strong year for 'Roo athletics, with the women's basketball team earning a share of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship after finishing 11-3 against SCAC opponents. The men's basketball team got out to the best start in program history at 10-0, and both the men's and women's swimming and diving teams had outstanding showings at the SCAC Championships.

Last fall, the 'Roos had a number of tremendous performances. For the second year in a row, Madison Ross was named first team Academic All-America and first team All-SCAC in football. Ross is the first Austin College student-athlete to ever earn back-to-back first team Academic All-America honors.

On the volleyball court, senior libero Rachel Fusselman broke the program career record for digs, and also led the entire nation in total digs with more than 800 on the season. The 'Roos have been excelling off the court, the field, and out of the pool as well. So far this season, Ross, volleyball player Kristen Massey, tennis players Cedric Ambulo and Kate Willis, and women's basketball player Mikayla Gascich have all been honored as SCAC Character and Community Award winners.

The fall season also saw 57 student-athletes from the sports of soccer, volleyball, football, and cross country named to the SCAC Academic Honor Roll, while 20 student-athletes have been named the SCAC Player of the Week so far this year. 

The 'Roos have earned several individual conference awards as well, with football player Cooper Woodyard earning SCAC Special Teams Player of the Year honors; men's basketball Stephen Igbninosa being named the SCAC Defensive Player of the Year; and women's basketball players Bryce Frank and Katie Gowdy earning SCAC Newcomer of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively.

Overall, the 'Roos have seen 28 student-athletes earn All-SCAC distinction this season, and the women's soccer team was honored by the NSCAA with the Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Gold Award.

Division III Week will include several activities throughout next week, with members of the Austin College SAAC organizing the efforts. Keep an eye on ACRoos.com for more details, and GO 'ROOS!