INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Roberts Wesleyan has been named the ECC's finalist for the NCAA 2025 Division II Award of Excellence, an accolade recognizing initiatives in the past year that exemplify the Division II philosophy, community engagement and student-athlete leadership. The Redhawks have won the Award of Excellence twice in its 11-year history, in 2021 and 2024. 

Division II honors its members each year for conducting events that promote student-athletes giving back and serving as leaders within their communities or on their campuses. A committee of athletics administrators determined this year’s finalists, and the national Division II Student- Athlete Advisory Committee selected the top three finalists, who will be announced at the Division II business session on January 17 at the 2025 NCAA Convention in Nashville, TN.

Each finalist will receive $750. In addition, the winner will receive $3,000, the first runner-up will receive $1,750, and the second runner-up will receive $1,500. All prize money is intended to be used for future SAAC initiatives or community engagement events.

Roberts Wesleyan continued its support of the Pirate Toy Fund, which distributes toys year-round to children in need. Student-athletes contributed more than 300 community engagement hours at distribution events, toy drives and fundraising efforts like benefit games. Their collective efforts included setting up a new warehouse, sorting toys and raising awareness through social media campaigns. The Redhawks’ contributions saved the Pirate Toy Fund over $12,000 in billable hours. They collected thousands of toys.

For more information, please visit the NCAA's release.