Summer 2016 / Volume 2 / Issue 2 Summer 2016 / Volume 2 / Issue 2

What do seven-time NBA All-Star Jack Sikma and three-time World Series champion Scott Brosius have in common? What about Super Bowl-winning linebacker London Fletcher and Olympic gold-medalist sprinter Andrew Rock? Or how about NFL MVP quarterback Ken Anderson and two-time All-Star pitcher Jordan Zimmerman?

They all played sports at NCAA -III schools.

Though D-III schools — like — cannot offer athletic scholarships to student-athletes (unlike their D-I and D-II counterparts), the above list demonstrates the quality of athletes this level has produced. The third division is actually the NCAA’s largest, as it is composed of about 180,000 student-athletes from nearly 450 colleges.

But since Division-III student-athletes don’t receive financial compensation for their athletic contributions, what’s the point? Or, perhaps more to the point, what’s the value of Division-III athletics? This five-story package, reported and written by Josh Sellmeyer, BA ’13, MA ’13, aims to answer that question. Included in this package are stories about...

• Susan Perabo, a Gorlok athletics pioneer who made history by playing her favorite sport. • Ashley Mess, who fits the mold of the ideal D-III student-athlete through her on-field and in- classroom accomplishments. • The Webster program, which earned the sport’s most prestigious academic award under the direction of coach Andrew Belsky. • The Webster baseball program, which achieved national success by recruiting and cultivating strong men of character. • Ally Nikolaus, Merry Graf, Bill Kurich and Scott Kilgallon, who share the significance of D-III sports in their lives.

Susan Perabo

Susan Perabo was sitting on the bench when her coach, Karl Karleskint, told her to quickly put on a helmet, grab a bat and scurry to the on-deck circle. The news startled Perabo, who was more accustomed to being a late-game defensive replacement at second base than a pinch-hitter. She was, after all, hitless up to that point of the 1987 season for Webster University. With almost no time to warm up for her at-bat, Perabo stepped into the batter’s box, sized up the opponent on the mound and readied for Pitch 1…

Perabo, BA ’89, came to Webster in 1986 without any expectation of athletics being part of her collegiate experience. Perabo grew up in the St. Louis area, and in her mind — not to mention the minds of a majority of her college classmates — Webster and sports just didn’t go together, didn’t make sense.

“It wasn’t actively or in a nasty way anti-sports, but most people at Webster were like, ‘What? You play sports here?’ That’s what it was like then. It just didn’t seem like a Webster thing,” Perabo said.

Although Webster students have been playing sports since the University’s earliest days – a team was established in November 1916 and the Athletic Association was founded in 1919 – today’s athletics program actually began in 1984. That year, the University’s intercollegiate athletics program commenced with six programs: soccer, basketball and tennis on the men’s side and , basketball and tennis on the women’s side. Summer 2016 / Volume 2 / Issue 2

One year later, Webster joined the NCAA as a Division-III school. And five years after that, Webster began play as one of six charter members of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the league in which the Gorloks still compete today.

Webster is the dominant force in the SLIAC, as the university has captured the All-Sports Trophy — which, as its name suggests, is awarded to the school whose teams collectively finish highest in the conference standings — 15 of the past 17 years.

More specifically, the Webster baseball program has been a force to be reckoned with on the national scale. The Gorloks qualified for the eight-team three times in a four-year span from 2012-2015, finishing fifth on two occasions. About 385 baseball teams compete at the Division-III level.

That’s where the Webster baseball program is — routinely in the top 2 percent nationally. Perabo was there when the baseball program began, and it was a different world during the team’s inaugural 1987 season. Perabo found out about the squad through a flyer that stated interested students should attend an upcoming team meeting.

Softball wasn’t yet a Webster-sponsored sport (it stayed that way until 1997), and Perabo preferred baseball anyway. She attended the meeting, as did a dozen of her future teammates, all males. Coach Karleskint was fine with her playing, as were the other members of the team, so that was that.

“I didn’t feel like I didn’t belong on the field,” Perabo said. “That was kind of my requirement. I didn’t want people to think, ‘Oh my gosh, what is she thinking?’ And I didn’t feel that way. The team was fine with it. They said ‘OK.’ The coaches said ‘OK.’ It was a very different time, obviously, in Webster sports.”

… As Perabo waited for the Principia College pitcher to deliver, she heard the whispers from the stands. “Is that a girl?” “Look, that’s a girl batting.” “Oh my gosh.” Perabo shrugged it off. The pitch came. Fastball, right down the middle. Perabo stood sheepishly with the bat resting on her shoulder. Strike one. Perabo steadied herself for the next pitch. Another fastball. Same location, same result. Perabo didn’t flinch. Strike two. She stepped away from the plate, took a few breaths, then told herself she had to swing. She couldn’t just stand there and watch three straight strikes without Summer 2016 / Volume 2 / Issue 2

Watch: ‘100 Years of Webster Athletics’ taking a hack. It was now or never. Perabo hopped back into the box and gripped her bat. The third pitch was on its way. It looked good. Perabo swung away…

Perabo didn’t know it at the time she joined the team — no one did — but she was about to make history by becoming the first woman to play NCAA baseball. It’s an achievement that was later commemorated in the National Baseball Hall of Fame for several years. Webster honored Perabo this past February by giving her the Pioneer Award at the Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

All excellent awards now, but at the time of her playing days, Perabo just wanted to fit in, not stand out.

“I felt uncomfortable being the center of attention. I wouldn’t have felt that way if I had been the star of the team. I felt uncomfortable being the center of attention purely because I was a woman,” Perabo said before excitement sprang from her voice. “I loved doing that so much. I still remember it very vividly even though it’s been over 25 years.

“I just loved playing baseball every day with other people who cared about playing baseball, because I had never done that before. It was a strange thing, but playing college baseball was my first organized baseball. I loved that everybody cared about it deeply, took it seriously and had a lot of fun. But we also played hard, and I really enjoyed that.”

Baseball didn’t turn out to be the only sport Perabo played at Webster. Niel DeVasto, Webster’s first athletics director (1984-1988) and current sports information director, approached Perabo about joining the women’s basketball team.

Perabo obliged, playing on the team her final two years at Webster after deciding to lay down baseball after one season. The women’s basketball team did not win a game either season, going 0-8 and 0-7. It wasn’t until the 1990-1991 season that the program picked up its first win — two years after Perabo graduated — as the Gorloks went 0-39 their first four years.

On several occasions, Perabo said, her team only had five student-athletes dressed to play. That meant if one of them fouled out, the Gorloks were forced to play short-handed. “It was exhausting and demoralizing,” Perabo said. “And yet, it was wonderful.”

… Perabo gave it a cut, but came up empty. Strike three. As she slowly made her way back to the visitor’s bench, a funny thing happened. The women in the stands — Principia fans — stood and applauded. Not because their team’s opponent had struck out. No, they cheered because Perabo played. She wasn’t a bystander in a male-dominated sport. As her swing showed, she was a participant.

“I always thought that was classy and nice,” Perabo would say of the incident. “And also, I just think in a movie, I would have gotten a hit certainly. Maybe even a home run Roy Hobbs-style. But just the fact that I swung the bat was triumph for me in that moment.”

Perabo knows the novelty aspect of her being the first female to play NCAA baseball will stick with her forever. Though no longer displayed, Perabo’s feat is still on file at the library of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. She’s a part of history. Summer 2016 / Volume 2 / Issue 2

The history she’s more proud of, though, is being part of the infancy of Webster’s now-robust athletics program. Perabo, who’s taught at Division-III in Pennsylvania the past 19 years, had an opportunity to see firsthand the department’s numerous changes when she accepted the Pioneer Award earlier this year. She said she loves what Webster athletics has become.

“Personally, the more important thing I had done and had helped be a pioneer in was being at the beginning of the sports program in general,” Perabo said. “All of those people who played sports in those first few years — even though we didn’t have any locker rooms, we didn’t have any transportation to games, there were absolutely no perks whatsoever — it was all just about the game. And all about building the program into something that was stronger when we left than it was when we got there.

“We took that pretty seriously, that responsibility. We were the foundation of something we believed in.”

Ashley Mess

During the first nine years of Ashley Mess’s soccer career — from kindergarten through eighth grade — her father, John, was unable to attend exactly two of her games. They would turn out to be the only two games either Mess parent would miss of their daughter’s standout career.

Four years of soccer for Mess — as well as her twin sister, Jessica — at Northwest High School in Cedar Hill, Mo., followed by four years of soccer for the sisters at Webster University. Zero games missed, combined, by their father and mother, Kathy. Home games, road games, hot games, cold games. Big wins, tough losses and every tie sandwiched in between. John and Kathy Mess were in the stands for all of them.

“They even planned a special vacation this past season to travel down to watch our preseason game in Alabama,” Ashley Mess said. “They are the most dedicated people I’ve ever met in my life.”

As Mess was evaluating colleges, location was of paramount importance, as she wanted her parents to be able to attend her games with ease. She also was searching for a school with a strong academic pedigree and a soccer coach who cared more about his players’ well-being than his team’s record.

Webster University and Luigi Scire, who has coached all 17 years of the women’s soccer program’s existence, fit the Summer 2016 / Volume 2 / Issue 2

bill. “When I came and visited Webster and talked to Luigi, it was a pretty simple choice,” Mess said.

Mess graduated this past May with a BA in advertising and marketing communications. What she accomplished at Webster in the four years prior — both on the field and in the classroom — is nothing short of remarkable, not to mention historic.

In addition to being named to the 2015 NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) All-Central Region first team, Mess was a four-time All-Conference selection. She was the 2015 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year and was twice picked to the SLIAC All-Tournament team.

“She’s just a brick,” said Ally Nikolaus, who played with Mess in 2012 and ’13. “I would never run into her at practice. She’s out for blood when she’s on the field, and it’s awesome.”

Mess led Webster to four straight SLIAC regular-season championships and three conference tournament titles, which automatically qualified the Gorloks for three NCAA Tournaments. Webster compiled a 62-19- 4 overall record and 33-2 conference mark in Mess’s four years with the program.

From an individual standpoint, Mess’s most impressive accolade came at the conclusion of her final season. Mess — who was a regular on the Dean’s List and SLIAC All-Academic teams — was named a 2015 NSCAA Scholar All-American. She was the first student-athlete in Webster women’s soccer history, not to mention SLIAC women’s soccer history, to earn the distinction.

“Honestly, I didn’t believe it at first,” Mess said. “To me, what I do is normal. I don’t do anything super special. I just go out there, try my hardest and do what I can on the field and off the field.”

While Mess was both surprised and excited by the Scholar All-American recognition, no one was more thrilled by the news than her father, he of nearly perfect game attendance. Like his daughters, John Mess played , so he knew firsthand the challenges of balancing athletics and academics.

It’s the hope of Scott Kilgallon, director of athletics, that other Webster student-athletes will take note of Mess’s award and seek to follow in her footsteps. Mess, who graduated with a 3.9 GPA and summa cum laude honors, helps dispel the societal misperception of the “dumb jock,” Kilgallon said.

In actuality, student-athletes graduate at a higher rate compared to the general student body in all three NCAA divisions, according to the NCAA’s most recent Graduation Success Rate study. At the Division-III level, in which Webster competes, student-athletes Director of Athletics Scott Kilgallon and Ashley Mess graduated at a 69-percent clip for the 2014-15 academic year. The D-III general student population graduated at a rate of 62 percent that same academic year.

“For freshmen and underclassmen, those kids see what Ashley has done — she set an example of working hard on the pitch and working hard in the classroom,” Kilgallon said. “It’s my hope that helps with the culture change and inspires men and women of all sports here to say, ‘That’s awesome. We celebrate this. I’m going to strive for this.’ You start to see people follow suit after that.” Summer 2016 / Volume 2 / Issue 2

Mess earned academic scholarships to attend Webster, which she called a definitive factor in her choice to attend the school. While she had the ability to earn an elsewhere (D-III schools are not allowed to award athletic scholarships), Mess wanted to be able to properly balance soccer with her studies. The scales can be tipped when athletic scholarships come into play, and Mess said she’d heard horror stories from student-athletes where that had occurred.

“It’s funny because I actually wrote a paper in one of my classes — I called it ‘Insanity’ — because we’re not getting those scholarships,” Mess said. “But we’re putting in just as much work, effort and intensity as D-I and D-II players. We’re giving our all. We’re putting our bodies through hell. I think people think we’re crazy. Why would we put ourselves through all this?” For Mess and her teammates, the answer is simple. “It’s for the pure love of the sport,” she said. “We can’t imagine not playing it. And that’s why I think it’s insane that people think we’re insane. We can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Mess said down the road, when she reflects on her standout four-year Webster career, it’s not going to be the recognition or awards she thinks about. Rather, Mess will recall the people who were along for the ride with her, supporting her on her college journey. That certainly will include Mess’s parents, who were there for her — in- person — every step of the way.

“You can say, ‘Oh, I’m going to remember this game. I’m going to remember this play.’ Throughout the years, that’s all going to fade away. That’s going to blur into one,” Mess said. “You’re going to remember the people. You’re going to remember your teammates who were there for you — picking you up when you fall down, encouraging you when you are mad at yourself. What I’m going to remember are those moments.”

Golf Team

Andrew Belsky was the first student-athlete in Webster University history to be recruited to the school as a golfer. Prior to his arrival as the first legitimate golf recruit, the Gorloks were — as Belsky kindly put it — “not good.”

Brodie Dakin Summer 2016 / Volume 2 / Issue 2

In each of the initial five years of the golf program’s existence (1995-99), Webster finished dead-last in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings. The Gorloks completed the SLIAC Tournament an average of 128 strokes behind the tourney’s champion during that five-year span.

But at the turn of the century, which coincided with Belsky’s arrival, the Gorloks turned their fortunes around. Webster placed second in the eight-team 2000 SLIAC Tournament, just eight shots back of conference champion Maryville University. Belsky recorded the fourth-best individual score at the tourney and made his first of four consecutive All-Conference appearances.

Webster won its first SLIAC championship three years later (by 43 strokes, no less) and has captured six conference titles in all. Belsky, who took over as coach of the program in 2004, has been named SLIAC Coach of the Year each of the five times Webster won the championship under his watch.

“I have seen it from the ground floor all the way up to where we are right now. It has kind of been mine to build over the years,” said Belsky, BA ’04, MBA ’06. “We’re a very respectable program at this point, on and off the golf course. For me, that’s a massive thing. I take great pride in it.”

The Gorloks’ greatest off-course achievement came at the conclusion of the 2014-15 academic year. Webster was named the NCAA Division III academic national champion by the GCAA (Golf Coaches Association of America) for posting the highest team GPA (3.65) in the country. The Gorloks were in good company, as Harvard University won the same award at the Division-I level.

“Being the academic national champion was a huge deal,” Belsky said. “Especially when we’re gone all the time — with golf, we’re on the road three or four days a week, many times for five straight weeks. And yet, my guys managed to keep almost a 3.7 GPA. That says a lot about the priorities of the players.”

The golf team’s academic national championship was the first for any squad in Webster athletics history. Brodie Dakin and Tyler Thorman, the team’s top two players that year, led the way academically as well. For their efforts, Dakin and Thorman were honored as the first two GCAA All-American Scholars in golf program history.

This past July, Thorman received the prestigious recognition for a second straight year. Juniors Jon Hughes and Justin Onken were likewise honored, giving the program five GCAA All-American Scholar awards in a two-year span.

Tyler Thorman Summer 2016 / Volume 2 / Issue 2

“My philosophy is we want the top total package — academics, athletics and community outreach,” said Scott Kilgallon, Webster director of athletics. “Those are the three biggest things we instill in our kids here, Belsky having hit the top of it. That didn’t just happen. That’s intentional.”

How do these student-athletes miss classes and still achieve high GPAs? “They’re in the vans cracking the books for a seven-hour ride to one of the big meets,” Kilgallon said. “Credit to the coaches for instilling that balance. These kids aren’t sitting watching TV or something; they’re being responsible for their class work. It’s a great example to say academic and athletic success are not mutually exclusive.”

Belsky informs prospective recruits, as well as their parents, of his academic and athletic expectations from the moment they arrive on campus for a visit. Hard work in all phases — be it golf, academics, community service or character development — is the letter of the law.

And yet, Belsky knows when to ease up so his players can enjoy their college experience. He encourages them to take advantage of Webster’s acclaimed study-abroad program. Belsky did just that his junior year at Webster when he traveled to the Geneva campus for a three-month period.

“The players work very hard while we’re at practice, and they are competitive,” Belsky said. “Yet at the same time, whenever we are done for the day, they can go and do other things. This fall, I’ve got four guys going to study abroad in Geneva. If you’re at a big D-I, D-II, players can’t do that. (At Webster), they get to actually experience life while they’re here. It’s not just about golf. It’s about everything that’s the experience.”

Thorman, who graduated this past May, played Division-I golf at Western Illinois University before transferring to Webster for his final three years. Thorman was the 2016 SLIAC Player of the Year after tying for the best individual score — then winning a one-on- one playoff — at the conference tournament.

Thorman’s dislike of playing D-I golf led him to Webster and “the best career of anybody we’ve ever had,” Belsky said. Though he was the top golfer in the SLIAC, Thorman’s 74.68 scoring average placed him 91st nationally among all D-III golfers for 2015-16. As Belsky discussed, the gap between the best Division-III golfers and their D-I and D-II counterparts is hardly a wide one at all.

“If players realize in golf they are either not destined for the PGA Tour or don’t want that lifestyle, then why not go some place I can get an education, a real college experience, study overseas and get to do a lot of great stuff?” Belsky said. “And yet, I can still play competitively. If you look at the top Division-III players and compare them to the top D-IIs especially and some of the top D-Is, the scores they’re shooting are basically the exact same. It’s just they have chosen this path rather than a different path.”

The path the golf program is on is trending in the right direction: five years of dismal golf and last-place finishes followed by a decade and a half of respectable, then competitive, then championship performances. That includes three SLIAC titles in a four-year span (2011-14), two All-American Scholars and one academic national championship. Summer 2016 / Volume 2 / Issue 2

“This is a great opportunity,” Belsky said. “Where else can you go to beautiful golf courses and travel around the country playing and having fun doing something you’re passionate about? And that’s your only responsibility — show up in class and go play golf. That’s a great deal.”

Baseball Team

As a senior at Centralia High School in southern Illinois, Cody Stevenson wasn’t planning on playing college baseball. He was plenty good enough, sure. With his track speed, Stevenson could play center field, steal bases and put pressure on an opposing infield at an elite level.

Schools were interested, too. A Division-I university in Michigan wanted Stevenson’s athletic services, as did a handful of other institutions. The community college in Centralia — Kaskaskia — was a landing spot for many of Stevenson’s teammates and friends.

Baseball could have helped put Stevenson through college. But that wasn’t his heart. No, that was set on joining the military, becoming a Marine.

That all changed when Stevenson’s high school hitting instructor, Cody Stevenson Derek Harlan, introduced Stevenson to Bill Kurich, who recently completed his 10th season as Webster University’s baseball coach. Harlan and Kurich were college baseball teammates at Quincy University, so Harlan knew firsthand the type of person Kurich was and the type of program he ran at Webster.

Stevenson started talking to Kurich about the Webster program and how Kurich likes the game to be played. It meshed well with the way Stevenson wanted to play. He decided to take the next step and pay a visit to the Webster campus.

“I don’t want to sound corny or cheesy, but it was love at first sight,” Stevenson said. “It’s a beautiful campus, very diverse. Coming from a small town — just being able to see how broad everything is and see what I could be at Webster — it was just amazing. It was hard to pass up.”

Four years later, Stevenson, BA ’14, graduated with a degree in sociology and one of the most decorated careers in Webster baseball history. He ranks first in the Webster record books in games played (180), games started (175), at-bats (636), runs scored (206), walks (100) and triples (13). His 165 career stolen bases place him more than 100 steals better than the second-best finisher in Gorlok history. He was a four-time first-team All- Conference selection.

In addition to his individual success, Stevenson and his 2012 and ’13 teammates made runs to the eight-team Division-III College World Series. The Gorloks finished fifth nationally both years out of approximately 385 teams. Webster went 140-50 overall and 82-10 in conference play during Stevenson’s four years as a Gorlok. Summer 2016 / Volume 2 / Issue 2

“Every time I look back on it, there’s not a thing I would change,” Stevenson said. “Just to be able to say I got my degree from Webster University — it’s such a well-known university. And then on top of that, I got to play at the college level in a sport I grew up wanting to make a life out of. I made nothing but memories and the best of friendships on and off the field with it.”

Baseball got Stevenson in the door at Webster, while the university’s strong academics and a multitude of other factors pushed him through it. That’s the rule – not the exception – for baseball players and, more generally, student-athletes who attend Webster. Kurich estimates 95 percent of his players, past and current, came to Webster because of baseball.

“We are recruiting them specifically as baseball players,” Kurich said. “We’re recruiting regionally and nationally, so a lot of these kids have never heard of Webster. But they may have heard of Webster baseball. And if baseball has the opportunity to open the door for them to get into a great academic institution and they realize what a great place this is, then baseball has really done its job. Not only for the young man, but for the school as well. Academically, they’re choosing between a number of schools, and they’re picking Webster as an academic institution and a baseball entity.”

Kurich’s estimates line up with the research Scott Kilgallon, Webster’s director of athletics, has done on the topic. Kilgallon found 93 percent of the Gorloks’ student-athletes were recruited to the school by a Webster coach. That figure is significantly higher than the NCAA Division-III national average of approximately two-thirds.

Sports are, overwhelmingly, the principle reason student-athletes hear about and ultimately choose to attend Webster. During the 2009-10 academic year, 192 students participated in athletics at Webster. Six years later, that number has ballooned to 324 students, a 59 percent enrollment increase.

As athletic programs like the baseball team succeed at the national level, visibility for Webster improves and additional recruiting opportunities become available. Kilgallon parlayed the Gorloks’ College World Series accomplishments into hosting the Central Regional of the D-III Baseball Championship, a task the university took on for the first time in May 2016 at GCS Ballpark, Webster’s home facility.

Developing a top-notch Division-III baseball program has made Kurich’s recruiting job a bit easier. “Success breeds success,” Kilgallon said. “These blue-chippers are inquiring, and they’re taking a good look. They know they’re going to have the probability of advancing to something like the NCAA Tournament year-in and year-out.”

Stevenson and his teammates advanced to the NCAA Tournament each of the four years he was at Webster. Now a deputy for the Collier County Sheriff’s Office in Naples, Fla., Stevenson said the discipline Kurich and his staff instilled in him helped mold him into the man he is today.

“Kurich makes sure you follow the rules that were laid down,” Stevenson said. “Those rules just weren’t you need to do this Summer 2016 / Volume 2 / Issue 2

because it’s going to make you a better ballplayer. No, his rules were you need to do this because it’s going to make you a better man. It’s going to make you a successful man.”

Kurich strives to identify players in the recruiting process who crave structure, who feed on high expectations. When prospective student-athletes commit to play baseball at Webster, they’re also committing to participate in offseason workouts with Matt Saitz, Webster’s strength and conditioning coach, and to play summer baseball against top-level competition across the country.

“They understand they may never play professionally,” Kurich said. “But we’re looking for 35 guys who want to walk out of here and say, ‘Well, I did everything I possibly could to be the best player I could have been in college. I had a great college experience. I had a great baseball experience. And I got a great degree.’ That’s what it’s all about.”

D-III Sports: Different Values for Different People

Watch: ‘We are #gorlokstrong’

For Ally Nikolaus, Division-III athletics were a way to heal. Nikolaus, BA ’14, was a key contributor for the University of Mississippi women’s soccer team — a Division-I program — as a freshman in 2010.

But Nikolaus said she had “more downs than ups” her first season and just wasn’t generally happy at Ole Miss. When her grandfather died in the summer of 2011, Nikolaus had no desire to return to the school.

Instead, Nikolaus — who was born and raised in St. Louis — transferred to Webster University on a whim and joined the women’s soccer team. During her three years as a Gorlok, Nikolaus led Webster to a 47-15-1 overall record and a 23-2 conference record. The Gorloks captured two St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament titles during that span.

Nikolaus was a two-time All-Central Region honoree, three-time All- Conference first-team selection and was named both the SLIAC Player of the Year (2013) and SLIAC Tournament MVP (2012). But beyond the team and individual achievements, Webster soccer provided Nikolaus a chance to regain normalcy, to once again enjoy playing the game she’d always loved.

“Soccer is the one thing I know so well,” Nikolaus said. “It was easy for me to fall back into that from a therapeutic and stress-relief sense. It was easier to just jump on a team, especially with starting at a new school. I was able to play through the grief I was feeling from my grandpa’s death.” Summer 2016 / Volume 2 / Issue 2

Nikolaus said D-III soccer helps instill discipline and a strong work ethic, as players don’t have athletic scholarships to motivate them. She’s continued to use the lessons she learned as a Division-III athlete at her next stop — DePaul University in Chicago — where she’s pursuing a master’s degree in screenwriting.

“Division III prepares you more for life outside of college and outside of playing a collegiate sport, because you’re not relying on this other income,” Nikolaus said. “It makes you work harder for what you want and what you need. Some girls were playing (at Ole Miss) just so they could stay in school because they were getting money to play a sport. At Webster, these girls are playing because they love the game.”

For Merry Graf, Division-III athletics were a way to continue competing in two sports. Graf, who is preparing for her 16th season as coach of the Webster volleyball team, was a standout student-athlete in her own right. She played both volleyball and softball at D-III (Ill.) before doing the same at D-III Millikin University (Ill.). Millikin’s volleyball team qualified for the NCAA Tournament her senior season, which sticks out as a favorite moment during Graf’s collegiate career.

“I knew I always wanted to continue playing sports as long as I possibly could,” Graf said. “I did have some people looking at me at higher levels for softball, but I really didn’t want to walk away from volleyball. I had started volleyball a little later but really enjoyed playing that as well. So, to me, Division III was ideal because of the opportunity to play both sports.”

Graf said D-III sports afford student-athletes the opportunity to succeed in both athletics and academics while also giving back to the community. The Webster volleyball program has earned the AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) Team Academic Award each of the past seven years for posting a team GPA above 3.30.

Volleyball players have donated their time during Webster Works Worldwide — a campus-wide community- service day now in its 22nd year — at the Mary Ryder home for several years. The Mary Ryder home serves low-income and disabled senior women. Graf and the Gorloks also seek out and participate in other community projects, such as putting on volleyball clinics for children with special needs every spring.

Graf encourages her student-athletes to take advantage of everything Webster has to offer, including its top-notch study- abroad program. Graf estimates about half of her players study abroad at some point during their college careers. And, as Graf successfully did, she advises her players to compete in multiple sports if they have the desire to do so.

Graf, who’s been a Division-III lifer, essentially, doesn’t envision that changing any time soon.

“I get asked often if I have any desire to move up the ranks, and I really don’t,” she said. “This is athletics in its purest form because the student-athletes here truly love the game. And they play for the love of the game. To me, that’s just very refreshing.” Summer 2016 / Volume 2 / Issue 2

For Bill Kurich, Division-III athletics were a way to play full-time. Kurich, who recently completed his 10th season as coach of the nationally-ranked Webster baseball team, started his college playing career at Division-II Quincy University (Ill.). Though he enjoyed his time there, he wasn’t an everyday player for the Hawks. So, Kurich transferred to D-III (Iowa) to get that opportunity.

“I knew I was not going to play in the big leagues, and I just wanted to play and have the chance to play every day,” Kurich said. “I got exactly what I wanted out of Wartburg. I started every game, and we won three conference championships. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

The opportunity to win big has kept Kurich at the D-III level for the vast majority of his coaching career. Kurich, a six-time SLIAC Coach of the Year recipient, has compiled a 329-131 overall record and a 203-25 conference record during his decade at Webster. The Gorloks have qualified for the NCAA Tournament eight of the 10 years Kurich has been at the helm. Webster advanced to the eight-team College World Series three times in a four-year span from 2012 to 2015.

“The program is my baby now. It’s hard to leave something you’ve built up to where it is now,” Kurich said. “Also, this is where my family is. My wife has a job here; my kids are in school. More than anything, the reason I like Webster is we’ve got a chance — and there is going to come a day — when we’re going to win the College World Series. Webster is a place where I know we can be successful. We love it. We can win. That, to me, is a big attraction.”

For Scott Kilgallon, Division-III athletics were a way to work at a level that aligned with his value system. Kilgallon, who is in his third year as Webster’s director of athletics and 20th year in D-III athletics overall, ran track at then-D-II (now D-I) Central Connecticut State University during his undergraduate career. Back then, Kilgallon said Division-III sports were not nearly as competitive as they are today. But that culture has shifted dramatically, and Kilgallon’s view of what college sports should be lines up with the Division-III philosophy. Summer 2016 / Volume 2 / Issue 2

“You have coaches and support staff who genuinely care about their student-athletes getting a great experience and degree, and they care about them as people,” Kilgallon said. “Whereas, for student-athletes at a higher level, you’re almost a commodity. It’s really tragic at the end of the day that you’re using them for athletics. If those kids don’t graduate, there’s a problem there.

“I like the purity of Division III, I like the student-athletes and I like the coaches. The coaches are not getting rich off it, but they’re doing things for the development of students. It’s really genuine. It’s satisfying. It’s my values — it’s what I believe athletics should be.”

From a competition standpoint, Kilgallon points to postseason matches as evidence of the significance of D-III sports to participating athletes and coaches. At the conclusion of a SLIAC Tournament soccer game his first year at Webster, Kilgallon vividly recalls seeing half the players euphoric because their team was moving on, while the other half was devastated because their season was over.

“I’ve seen the skill level. I’ve seen the dedication. In Division-III athletics, the level has increased unbelievably,” Kilgallon said. “We’ve got talented kids at this level. We have kids transfer in from D-I and D-II — they gave up their scholarships.

“I would challenge anybody: Come to a Division-III game. I guarantee you that you’re going to walk out and say, ‘I’m coming back.’”