Are NCAA Division III athletics worth pursuing after high school? It largely depends on what students value and what they’re looking for in a college experience.
For some, like senior lacrosse athlete and Kenyon College commit, Will Jacobs, competing in D-III athletics can provide both high-level competition and a more typical college experience.
In my interview with Will, he highlighted how D-III athletics can be a great fit for student-athletes looking to continue playing their sport after high school, achieve personal growth, and pursue their academic studies, while not feeling overwhelmed.
Asked about the value of competing in college, Will acknowledged the importance of teamwork, dedication, and commitment.
“I just think having a group of people at your campus who are really dedicated to one thing, like your sport and you’re equally as dedicated as them, it can give you like a sense of, ‘This is all worth it,’ ”Jacobs said.
Will also credited lacrosse with providing him a deep sense of personal enjoyment and fulfillment, citing it as something he simply couldn’t do without.
“I feel like I just really, really enjoy the sport,” Jacobs said. “It’s just a very fun sport and I’ve gotten a lot of joy out of that. I feel like if I didn’t have that thing outside myself that gives me joy outside the classroom in just different ways, I think it would be weird only having one of those in college. So it’s kind of like I need to have that outlet to get that competitiveness and fun out of me.”
When making the choice between D-I, D-II, and D-III, Will prioritized balance and wanted to ensure that competing in college wouldn’t diminish his personal love for the game.
“A lot of the coaches at D-I expect that you’re going to basically do school and lacrosse and that’s it,” Jacobs said. “And most of the time it’s actually lacrosse over it. You have so many more expectations to meet and so many more rules where you actually get to practice earlier or you know start things at different times and I just think it would be hard balancing all of that and I’d just have other things I’d like to do during college, and having so many more things to do for my sport just wouldn’t feel very good.”
Ultimately for Will, it came down to D-III having a great balance for both his academic and athletic endeavors.
“So it’s like you get to compete and you get to choose how much you get to do, while not being completely forced to do,” Jacobs said. “I think it just comes with a lot of burnout at D-Is.”
