The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Winston-Salem State University and West Virginia State University are among twenty-four schools and one conference named finalists for the 2017 Division II Award of Excellence, an accolade recognizing positive campus and community engagement events hosted during the past year.

Each year, Division II selects one finalist from each conference and one independent representative to be recognized for events that exemplify any of the six Division II attributes: learning, balance, resourcefulness, sportsmanship, passion and service. Each finalist will receive $500.

The SIAC was the only conference named.

This year’s finalists hosted events that honored members of the military, benefited local youth, assisted people with disabilities, raised money for positive causes and more.

Two runner-up recipients and one overall winner will be announced during the Division II Business Session at the 2017 NCAA Convention on Jan. 21 in Nashville, Tennessee. The winner will receive $1,500 and a nationally televised football or basketball game during the 2017-18 season. The first runner-up will receive $1,250, and the second runner-up will receive $1,000. All prize money is expected to be used on future community engagement initiatives.

Conference: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Event: Go Green Campus Initiative. The conference worked to create and enhance recycling programs at their member schools.

School: Winston-Salem State University
Conference: Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association

Event: She’s Got It Covered Classy Hat Affair. A celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day and a fundraiser for scholarships in women’s sports at Winston-Salem State.

School: West Virginia State University
Conference: Mountain East Conference

Event: Month of Service. Student-athletes completed more than 500 hours of community service.

A complete listing of schools and events is available here.