Last October, the first half of my senior collegiate golf season ended. Four tournaments in five weeks stretched me thin, and the mountains of homework I have to catch up on each postseason are daunting. My eighth and final collegiate athletic season looms ahead, and it leads me to wonder, was this all really worth it?
Most children dream of playing a sport in college. Earning a name on the back of their shirt and a team logo on the front brings pride and joy like no other. The dream is Division I or II, earning a full-ride scholarship to a big sports school, and hearing your name chanted throughout a crowd.
However, around 40% of all NCAA student-athletes remain at the smallest level, Division III. While D-III does not require the same practice hours or commitment levels, it is a massive undertaking, given that D-III offers no money in athletic scholarships.
Most sports gear is either paid for by the athletes or returned at the end of their careers, and a luxury bus ride or hotel stay is uncommon.
So with a lack of scholarships, free gear or an NIL deal, why do so many athletes, including myself, choose the D-III path?
Easy.
For the love of the sport.
I can come home from a tournament shooting my best of the season, or my worst of the year, but I am still ready to hit the range the next day. There may not be an athletic scholarship looming over my head, but I still strive to improve each day, and strongly represent the name stitched on my shirt.
“I could care less about gear and perks, I would sleep in the golf van if I had to,” said Douglas Bailey, a sophomore accounting major on the men’s golf team. “I just love playing golf, I don’t even care if I’m wearing a Hanes white t-shirt on the course.”
Bailey hails from Tigard, and chose Linfield and D-III athletics for the positive atmosphere in all parts of the school.
“I think the athletic culture here at Linfield is just fantastic, but I also like having that interpersonal relationship with the professors,” said Bailey. “Where you can shoot them an email when you miss so much class because of golf, and they’re understanding of it.”
Many athletes choose D-III so they can pursue their love of athletics, while still being involved in clubs, Greek life and having a social life.
“The pros about being a D-III athlete is that it is possible to still be involved in other groups and clubs on campus, and build meaningful relationships with your coaches, trainers and professors,” said Casey Bunn-Wilson, a former Oregon State women’s basketball player, and now head coach of women’s basketball at Linfield. “So much of being at the D-I level is a business and a full-time job now, I am fortunate to have played when I did.”
After I return from a tournament, not only my friends, but my teachers, co-workers and peers ask how it went, something you would be hard-pressed to find at a D-I school. With class sizes rarely reaching over 25 students at Linfield, it is easy to check in with peers and teachers.
“I really have learned how valuable the D3 experience is and that is why Linfield is such an easy sell to recruits- it’s an incredible place to grow and be pushed while still feeling like you’re building real relationships across campus and within your team,” said Bunn-Wilson.
Entering Linfield, I wasn’t sure what it was going to bring me, and each semester I called my mom in tears, telling her there was no way I could handle all of this work, and a golf season.
At Linfield and many other colleges, the golf seasons run throughout fall and spring, giving athletes just over two months of an off season throughout the entire year.
Now, done with my seventh season of golf in three and a half years, I am the editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, a double major in political science and journalism and a representative and captain of my golf team. D-III allowed me to follow my dreams, athletically and career-wise, an opportunity difficult for someone with a sport as their full-time job.
So to any high school senior wondering if college athletics is worth it, the answer is a resounding yes – even if an athletic scholarship isn’t offered. The small family of teammates, close relationship with teachers and opportunities for involvement on campus is too great not to go D-III. An opportunity that some would say, is worth going into debt for.
