LAKEWOOD, NJ (Jan. 7, 2026) - Georgian Court has been named a finalist for the 2026 NCAA Division II Award of Excellence, an accolade recognizing initiatives in the past year that exemplify the Division II philosophy, community engagement and student-athlete leadership.
Georgian Court was the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) representative for the 2026 NCAA Division II Award of Excellence. They were selected because of the Lakewood United Initiative which began in 2025.
Lakewood United is a Georgian Court initiative to connect the student-athletes of Georgian Court to the greater Lakewood community. This is done in a number of ways including community service, school visits and sport lessons and instructions. Over the course of 2025, Georgian Court student-athletes volunteered at the Oak Street Color Run, Read Across America and Trunk or Treat. They also gave basketball and lacrosse clinics and spoke about becoming a collegiate athlete at elementary schools. GCU Men's Lacrosse even went to Spruce Street Elementary and turned their gym into an Escape Room.
Speaking about the honor, Georgian Court Director of Athletics Dan Sempkowski said, "We are extremely proud of our athletes, coaches, and staff members for their commitment to the Lakewood United Initiative to earn this award. The impact can be felt throughout the Lakewood community and is one we hope to continue and enhance for many years to come."
Each finalist will receive $750. In addition, the winner will receive $3,000, the first runner-up will receive $1,750 and the second runner-up will receive $1,500. All prize money is intended to be used for future SAAC programming or community engagement events.
There are 26 schools and one conference that have been named finalists for the DII Award of Excellence this year. Three finalists were picked as at-large honorees for submitting a strong nomination that was not chosen as the finalist for their conference.
A committee of athletics administrators determined this year's finalists and the national Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) selected the top three finalists, who will be announced, along with the winner, at the Division II business session later this month at the 2026 NCAA Convention in the Washington, D.C. area.
About the Award:
As part of Division II's emphasis on community engagement, the division annually honors institutions and conferences with the Award of Excellence for community engagement efforts.
Each active Division II school and conference is eligible to submit its best community engagement activity and/or event that promotes student-athletes giving back and serving as leaders within their communities.
The Award of Excellence began as the Division II Community Engagement Award in 2008, and it was accompanied by a Division II Game Environment Award in 2010. At the 2014 Convention, Division II combined the two awards to allow the division to give larger prizes and prestige to those member conferences or institutions that participated.
