MCLA two sport standout Caney attends NCAA convention

Portions of release courtesy of:
NCAA (Brian Burnsed)
Belchertown Sentinel (Aimee Henderson)

North Adams, MA- MCLA two sport standout Natalie Caney had quite an experience last week.  The junior from Belchertown, MA. was one of more than 40 ethnic minority Division III students who converged at the NCAA Convention last week thanks to a grant program designed to help more minorities forge careers in Division III college athletics.  

Caney was among the 43 student athletes selected nationwide to attend. She is one of only two student athletes selected from the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC). The selection process included choosing students who have an interest in a career in Division III athletics to help diversify the athletics administrative pipeline.

Caney hopes to get into coaching as well as sports administration/management. "I absolutely love sports and I never want to walk away from that. I also like working with people so I hope to choose a career path that will award me with both," said Caney.  The talented junior is a three time All MASCAC performer on the women's soccer team and last year she was an integral part of the Lacrosse team making their debut as a Division III program.

Data suggest that Division III badly needs more diversity among its coaches and athletics administrators, so the Division III Diversity and Inclusion Working Group recommended creating a grant to bring minority students who aspire to be athletics administrators and coaches to this year's NCAA Convention. There, the working group suggested, the students would be able to learn more about the profession and make valuable connections that could bolster their careers. After the recommendation was approved by the Division III Strategic Planning and Finance Committee, the division spent roughly $50,000 to fund trips for more than 40 students, the majority of whom were athletes, to attend the Convention in San Antonio.

Though 40 percent of students at Division III institutions are ethnic minorities, only 23 percent of student-athletes fit that description. The disparity is even more striking among athletics directors: Of the division's 460 athletics directors, only 28 (6 percent) are minorities. The proportions are only marginally better among assistant and associate athletics directors (7 percent) and head coaches (8 percent). More heartening, though, is the appetite for change among current administrators and student-athletes – more than 90 students were nominated by campus or conference administrators to take part in the program and 42 were accepted. 

While affording students an opportunity to network with peers and administrators was the program's core mission, it wasn't the sole reason college students made the trip. They also had an opportunity to attend the NCAA Honors Celebration and have their voices heard during conference meetings and at the Division III Issues Forum, where members debated rules pertaining to the structure of playing and practice seasons.