DBU was one of 26 NCAA Division II schools from across the nation to be named as a finalist for the 2022 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 DBU Athletic program was recognized as one of 26 finalists for their Virtual SAAC Raffle, which raised money for its Make-A-Wish partnership. Students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni and the general public were invited to purchase tickets for a chance to win school gear. The raffle raised over $10,000 and allowed DBU to host a wish reveal for a Make-A-Wish recipient at this year's Homecoming on campus.

"We are honored to be selected as a finalist and grateful to the NCAA for providing this recognition opportunity for member institutions," DBU Director of Athletics Connor Smith said. "We could not be more proud of our DBU Student-Athlete Advisory Council and our student-athlete leaders for their work on this special initiative at DBU. They made this goal become a reality. Our campus community and DBU Family continues to rise to the occasion to support the goal of granting a wish to a Make-A-Wish child each year."

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 selects the winner, who will be announced at the Division II business session Jan. 22 at the 2022 NCAA Convention.

Each finalist will receive $500. In addition, the winner will receive $2,500, the first runner-up will receive $1,250 and the second runner-up will receive $1,000. All prize money is intended to be used for future SAAC initiatives or community engagement events.

Click here to read official press release from the NCAA.