Alfred State Wins NCAA Special Olympics Grant

The Alfred State athletic department has won the NCAA DIII June Special Olympic Spotlight Poll and will receive a $500 grant for the running of the 7th annual Track & Field Spectacular in 2019.

Held on May 4th, nearly 300 athletes from 13 school districts competed in one track event and one field event at the 6th annual Special Olympics Track & Field Spectacular. The event featured nearly 200 teachers, aides, and volunteers from the schools and another 100 members of the Alfred State athletic department (coaches and student-athletes) that helped facilitate the events. 

"Hosting this event has become one of the best days of the year for not only those participating and those in our athletic department that assist with the running of the event," commented Sports Information Director Paul Welker. "It is a total group effort and we thank the school districts, the athletes, and the coaches for continuing to support this event."

Alfred State received 711 of the 1,317 votes in the competition. This is the second time that the Track & Field Specatacular has won a grant. The grant will be used to defray a portion of the costs to run the event.

Division III and Special Olympics have partnered with each other since 2011. This partnership provides the opportunity for student-athletes to engage with Special Olympics and collaborate with existing student-led programs on campus. It also serves as another opportunity to demonstrate the citizenship and comprehensive learning attributes of Division III student-athletes. Student-athletes giving back to their local (and often national and international) communities not only adds to the comprehensive learning component of Division III, but also provides a venue for passion and service