Misericordia Is Division III
Misericordia University is a member of the NCAA Division III. The largest of the NCAA’s three divisions, Division III promotes a well-rounded approach to intercollegiate athletics participation.
While Division III is best known by some for what it doesn’t offer – athletics scholarships – it has plenty to offer.
Knowing that Division III student-athletes play for the love of the game, the D-III experience is structured to help participants develop fully as students, athletes and citizens.
Athletics participation at many of the 444 institutions that comprise Division III allows for student-athletes to succeed in the classroom and athletics.
That certainly is the case at Misericordia as student-athletes are often active in student government, residence life and other extra-curricular activities.
In addition, Division III playing seasons and class schedules are designed to minimize conflicts between athletics and academics and promote academic success. This is evidenced by MU’s overall 3.17 GPA among student-athletes and 182 MAC All-Academic honorees in 2013-14
While Division III athletics programs promote a wide range of participation, they don’t sacrifice when it comes to competition. In fact, the NCAA sponsors 36 national championships annually at the Division III level.
Misericordia is one of just two schools in the Middle Atlantic Conference to offer all 23 sports sponsored by the MAC.
Misericordia has enjoyed its share of success since joining the Division III ranks in 1992. MU has captured 43 conference championships and sent 22 teams to the NCAA Championships, including the women’s soccer team advancing to the NCAA Final Four in 2012.
In addition, several individual efforts have helped put Misericordia on the national map:
Ashlee Ward, Track & Field: NCAA Division III Indoor & Outdoor champion in the high jump.
Eric Sweeney, swimming: NCAA Division III champion in the 200 butterfly.
Willie Chandler, basketball: Second leading scorer in NCAA Division III history with 2,898 points.
Heather Dougherty, swimming: School’s first NCAA All-American in the 100 breaststroke.
Sam Helmstetter, women’s soccer: First-team All-American
Michelle Myers, volleyball: Led NCAA Division III with 2.86 blocks per game.
Amy Bower, cross country: Earned All-America honors despite not running competitively until college.
Frank Redmond, track & field: MU’s first track & field All-American at 800 meters.
Kim Daniel, field hockey: Eighth all-time in NCAA Division III with 58 career assists.
Mike Murphy, baseball: Set Division III single-game record with eight hits.
Founded in 1924, Misericordia is a liberal arts based, co-educational Catholic institution located in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Sponsored by the Religious Sisters of Mercy, MU is one of 18 Mercy institutions in the United States and welcomes individuals from all faiths and offers a variety of liberal arts and professional programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
MU offers 34 majors in three academic colleges: Arts and Sciences; Health Sciences; and Professional Studies and Social Sciences.
The University is dedicated to the values of the Sisters of Mercy: mercy, service, justice and hospitality. These values are found throughout the University, from programs of study to service projects.
The hallmark of MU is a dedicated faculty and a high quality core liberal arts and sciences curriculum.
With a total enrollment of 3,111 students, including 1,982 full-time, Misericordia offers the benefits of a small university with the scope of a larger institution. Misericordia’s average class size of 19 ensures personalized attention and a 12.6:1 student/faculty ratio allows students and faculty to truly know one another.
Located in Dallas, PA, MU’s 123-acre campus has a suburban atmosphere and is only nine miles from Wilkes-Barre and two hours from New York City and Philadelphia.
