By Maddy Lanning, Staff Writer
Student-athletes at Susquehanna University were celebrated during an annual NCAA event called Division Three (D3) Week from April 13 through April 18.
The week celebrates student-athletes on their hard work, accomplishments and impacts they’ve made over the course of the year.
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) creates the week by planning and executing campaigns and events.
According to SAAC member Ella Moores, the group is made up of student-athletes who represent all 23 varsity teams on campus. They contribute to the athletic community by voting on NCAA rules that affect student-athletes nationally.
Within the group there are three sub-committees: Personal Development, Community Service and Fundraising, all of whom help create events and opportunities for students on campus.
Moores said due to the shutdown caused by the coronavirus, SAAC had to improvise their ways of celebrating with students this year. They turned to a virtual outlet that allowed them to contact SU Athletics and everyone who was to be a part of this week.
Some of the major events that took place were: a Special Olympics and COVID-19 fundraiser, National Student-Athlete Day, Landmark Instagram Takeover and The Suskys.
The focus of this year’s D3 Week was to raise money for the Special Olympics and the response fund for COVID-19. Representatives from teams and athletic departments posted donation boards to their Instagram pages to collect money that was split between the two organizations.
According to the SAAC Instagram account, those efforts raised $560 for the two funds.
National Student-Athlete Day was held on April 6. This allowed for student representatives to post an NCAA Instagram story titled “My Playbook”. Here students were to fill out their board and challenge other athletes to do the same to showcase their many talents.
Towards the end of the week, SAAC took over the Landmark Conference Instagram page. Here the group promoted SU Athletics through a series of posts and stories.
A fan favorite of students at Susquehanna is The Suskys. This celebration is just like ESPN’s ESPYs, and is an award ceremony to recognize individuals and teams for their incredible athletic performances and achievements.
This year, The Suskys will be held virtually on May 1, which is also Orange and Maroon Day. The ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. on Zoom and everyone is invited to join. Once you register for the event you will receive a link that gets you on to the Zoom call. More information on the uploading of that link will be released shortly.