Since 1973, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has been divided into three divisions for which college athletes could play, divisions I, II and III.
As a division III school in the NCAA, Cabrini College does not provide financial aid to athletes based on their athletic ability, nor does it put such a primary focus on athletics as many division I or II schools.
According to NCAA requirements, “Division I schools must meet minimum financial aid awards for their athletics program.”
With much higher standards and the possibility of scholarships on the line, it becomes more difficult for a student-athlete to play for a division I school as opposed to division III.
Even so, there are many student athletes at Cabrini who could have played for a higher division but chose division III instead for various other reasons.
“I couldn’t go because of my grades,” Deryl Bagwell, sophomore men’s basketball player, said. “That’s probably a lot of peoples’ situations when it comes to division II or division I. If they don’t have the right grades they either go to juco [junior college/community college] or they go to division III, so I just decided to go with division III.”
Junior men’s soccer player Mo Konneh said, “It was closer to the family, I wanted to stay close.”
There are even a number of athletes at Cabrini who have chosen to come to division III after experiencing life at schools of other decisions.
Kaitlyn Cooper, a senior women’s soccer and softball player, transferred to Cabrini for her second semester of classes. She spent her first semester at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a division II college.
“I didn’t make it to softball season there, I transferred over winter break,” Cooper said. “I didn’t like the soccer team and I wanted to go to a smaller school that was more homey and closer to home. I like it better here.”
While Konneh chose to attend Cabrini for its location, he has not always been sure that he was right to decline offers of chances to play at a higher division.
“I mean, coming here we didn’t win the first two years so I was like ‘I could’ve actually been doing something better somewhere else,’” Konneh said. “It was a little disappointing at first but it’s not much anymore. I’m having fun.”
Some students fear that playing in a higher division will make them more likely to sit on the bench, while choosing a division III school could provide them with more playing time.
This fear did not strike Konneh.
“Not trying to be cocky but I think I could get playing time anywhere; but yeah, I get a lot of playing time here,” Konneh said.
Bagwell shared the same feelings of confidence.
“I would’ve played regardless of where I went,” Bagwell said.
Bagwell has continued to be happy with the decision he made about coming to Cabrini.
“This is probably one of the best opportunities I have had,” Bagwell said. “I feel like coming to division III you learn to be grateful as if you were at division I so I like it here. There’s nothing bad about it so I don’t regret anything.”
