Welcome to the April episode of "The #WhyD3 Show." This is a monthly show dedicated to Division III and its student-athletes. We will talk about what's happening throughout DIII especially off the fields and courts.

If you are confused by the April title, we have gone to different titling where it is more in line with other shows and magazines who date their material in a preview-type manner. We also missed a few weeks of production thanks to the basketball season getting the best of our schedules. We apologize for any confusion this may cause.

This month's show features a number of student-athletes who are doing great work off the courts of competition. One of those stories is Lea Sobieraski of SUNY Geneseo whose near-death and life-saving organ donation has not only allowed her to get back on the basketball court, but also given her a passion to promote blood and organ donation in Western New York - work that has been rewarded by being named to the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team.

Another student-athlete from SUNY Oneonta decided she wanted to continue the effort to get people to talk about and stop sexual assaults and abuse especially on college campuses. Brynn Sussman's work has been honored by the NCAA with the Division III Diversity Spotlight Initiative Award for the month of March, but she isn't done yet!

We also talk to the two Jostens Trophy winners. Jess Rheinheimer of Eastern Mennonite and George Bugarinovic of Johns Hopkins have not only excelled on the basketball courts, but also excelled in the classrooms (both are in the medical field of study) and in their communities. Find out what is driving them to make a difference.

For the first time in the short history of The #WhyD3 Show, we talk to an athletic department administrator about their passion. Joanne Renn, Athletics Director at Virginia Wesleyan, talks about why she can't resist packing a backpack and lacing up her hiking boots whenever she is near a trail, what it is like to hike the entire length of the Appalachian trail along with 48 peaks in North America, and how she takes what she has learned hiking and climbing and used it to help mentor student-athletes.

In our Honor Roll segment, we take a look at the special relationship Division III has with Special Olympics including honoring the March Spotlight winner, Pitt-Greensburg Athletics, and a great event the University of New England held recently in their pool. Then we hear from NCAA Vice President for Division III, Dan Dutcher, about the relationship and why the City of Salem, Virginia has played such a key roll in the development.

We also tip our hat to the Washington College field hockey team and University of Mary Hardin Baylor Men's Golf Team for their community efforts. And we applaud a student-athletes from the Washington University of St. Louis softball team who shows off her Pi skills.

And we preview the fourth annual D3 Week by taking a look at some of the items some schools are planning including those at Bridgewater College, Catholic University, Hope College, Frostburg State University, and McDaniel College.

Of course we also have this month's #WhyD3 in Three Words Project. We were sent some and gathered some at the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Weekend in Salem, Virginia featuring student-athletes describing why they love or chose Division III in just three words.

To learn more about The #WhyD3 Show, check out this brief introduction here and read the official announcement here. 

We also want to hear why student-athletes love Division III. For more information, click here.