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Salem College joins NCAA Division III
Move enhances school's identity, A.D. says
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Published: August 27, 2008
Updated:
Rachel Fichthorn probably doesn't have the times to be crowned an NCAA champion in cross country, but this year, she at least has the opportunity.
Salem College is now a full-fledged member of the NCAA, which means that its sports teams and individual athletes can compete in NCAA postseason championships and be eligible for awards and other honors.
For such student-athletes as Fichthorn, the school's top cross-country runner, the designation means that she can run in the NCAA Division III regional meet and, if her time is good enough, qualify for the national meet.
"Going to the nationals would be an amazing experience, and it's great that we have the opportunity to do that," said Fichthorn, a senior from Manassas, Va.
The NCAA is the main organizing body for college athletics in the country. It is divided into three divisions, based in part, on a school's enrollment. Schools in Division III -- with more than 400 members, making it the largest division -- do not offer athletics scholarships.
Colleges wishing to join the NCAA are first granted provisional status. Most colleges are provisional members for four years. Salem met all the requirements needed to become a full-fledged NCAA member in three years, said Kim Fierke, the athletics director at Salem.
Those requirements include hiring an athletics trainer and qualified coaches, fielding full teams and subscribing to NCAA rules on such things as eligibility, travel and recruiting.
Six Salem teams -- soccer, basketball, volleyball, cross country, swimming and tennis -- will compete in the NCAA.
Salem celebrated its new status and presented a sports logo at a pep rally yesterday at Bryant Hall.
The new logo will be on team uniforms, media guides and letters and postcards sent to recruits.
"Having a logo gives us a consistent identity," Fierke said. "When we are recruiting or playing against our competitors or are in the community, this will mark us as ‘Oh, yeah, that's Salem College athletics.'"
Raising the visibility of its athletics department by joining the NCAA is a way for Salem to distinguish itself from similar schools, said Dick Snelshire, who has taught at the school since 1997 and is an assistant coach in cross country.
"Small, private colleges have become very competitive, so when students come on campus, even if they are not student-athletes, they are going to look at your athletics department," said Snelshire, who was an early advocate of joining the NCAA.
Five years ago, many of the sports operated as clubs that played games against clubs from other schools.
Many of those schools began to join the NCAA and were no longer interested in scheduled competitions against Salem, Snelshire said.
"The only way to move forward was to integrate athletics into the college, he said.
Being a member of the NCAA attracts the attention of recruits, he said.
"A student who wants to be Division III wants to know that ultimately she could be a national champion," Snelshire said.
"That access is there."
■ Lisa O'Donnell can be reached at 727-7420 or at lodonnell@wsjournal.com.
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