Tuskegee University is among 26 finalists for the NCAA Division II 2026 Award of Excellence, an annual recognition of schools and conferences that exemplify commitment to community engagement and student-athlete leadership and reinforce the division's "Life in the Balance" philosophy of empowering student-athletes to become socially conscious leaders who positively impact their communities long after their playing careers conclude.
The overall finalists were chosen by a committee of athletics administrators and the Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), with the SAAC members ultimately selecting the top three finalists. Each finalist will receive $750. The winner will receive $3,000, with the second-place finisher getting $1,750 and the third-place finisher awarded $1,500. All prize money is intended to be used for future SAAC programming or community engagement events.
Tuskegee is being recognized for efforts by the Tuskegee University SAAC organization, where more than 30 student-athletes collected and organized food items and distributed meals and groceries to hundreds of families in partnership with the Macon County Helping Hands Food Ministry.
"Tuskegee University Athletics is deeply committed to developing well-rounded student leaders by emphasizing service, accountability, and civic engagement beyond competition," said
Deborah Rodgers, Deputy Athletic Director and SAAC Advisor. "Through initiatives like the Macon County Helping Hands Food Drive, student-athletes gain real-world leadership experience by serving diverse populations, working collaboratively, and addressing critical social issues."
One of those critical issues, facing growing numbers of people from all walks of life, is food insecurity. As people who are excelling as both students and athletes, members of Tuskegee's SAAC are particularly aware of how hunger impacts the body and mind.
"Our student-athletes have acknowledged that food insecurity can significantly impact both academic and athletic performance as limited access to nutritious meals affects energy levels, recovery, focus, and overall well-being, making it more challenging to compete at a high level. Participating in this initiative allowed student-athletes to not only support others facing similar challenges but also bring awareness to an issue that directly impacts performance, health, and mental resilience," added Deputy AD Rodgers.
Tuskegee students were hands-on leaders throughout the event, unloading and organizing food donations, assembling food boxes, managing distribution lines, assisting with traffic flow, and directly distributing food to community members. Student-athletes also helped provide emergency food boxes to individuals in need, ensuring the distribution ran efficiently and respectfully for all participants.
"We know that this location gets significant traffic and we were able to suggest ways to make the drive-through distribution even more efficient," said SAAC President Akeirah Walker, a senior Psychology major from Clinton, Mississippi.
"Opportunities like this really show that we can be leaders beyond our sport," said the cross country and track and field speedster. "SAAC continues to grow and we can continue to make an impact, although a lot of time goes into our sport."
Tuskegee's SAAC organization includes students from football, men's and women's basketball, volleyball, softball, baseball, track and field, cheerleading and sports medicine.
For the full list of all Division SAAC finalists, click
here.
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