Welcome to the January 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.

This month's show, which was delayed slightly, features a recap the NCAA Convention, talk with members of the National SAAC, a conversation with two former Division III student-athletes honored with one of the top NCAA awards, an inside look on how a Eastern Connecticut student-athlete beat the odds and scored in more ways than one, and why Division III was the perfect fit for a two-sport star looking for more than the spotlight.

In the NCAA Convention recap, Dave McHugh talks with outgoing chair of the President's Council Sharen Herzberger, President at Whittier College, about the future of Division III. McHugh also chats with NCAA Vice-President for Division III Dan Dutcher about why the most debated legislative proposal, a more traditional spring football practice period, was defeated and what it may mean in the future. McHugh also recaps some of the bigger legislative issues that were voted on by Division III members.

Also at the NCAA Convention, McHugh talked with members of the National SAAC: two members who are stepping down after their terms and one who is stepping onto the national board to start his term. Those conversations included the now-former chair Chealsea Shoemaker from RIT and now-former Managment Council member Audrey Hester of Randolph-Macon College. And Stevenson University student-athlete Rob Wingert talks about the challenges of stepping onto the National SAAC while balancing school, sports, and much more.

Two former Division III student-athletes were also honored at the NCAA Convention. McHugh talks with Emory University's Megan Light and Calvin College's Nicole Michermerhuizen about their NCAA Top 10 honors and what it means to them to be spotlighted for their excellance both in competition but more importantly in the classroom.

We also take a step away from the NCAA Convention to get an inside look at the battle over a major health scare to get back on the soccer field for one Eastern Connecticut State University student-athletes. Nick Aconfora brings us the story of John DeCasanova who thanks to the support of his team and the entire Eastern Connecticut campus was able to get back on the soccer field this past fall and score in more ways than one. We feature a shorter version of the film produced by Aconfora. To see the entire film, you can click here.

And in our Honor Roll segment, we give you an update on Lauren Hill who received a Doctor of Humane Letters honor from Mount St. Joseph and we hear from a Bethel student-athlete on why he chose Division III and why it was the right decision for more than athletics.

Of course we take a look at this month's #WhyD3 in Three Words project. We were sent videos from around the country and gathered some at the NCAA Convention 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.

A side note: starting with the next episode, we will be retitling our shows based on the month coming up. So instead of a "February" edition of the show, we will have the "March" edition. This is in tune with many magazine and other publications. We hope this doesn't cause any confusion. The next edition is due out by the end of February.