When COVID-19 shut down all UH Hilo athletic events from March to December, Vulcan teams kept active by serving the Hilo and Big Island communities.

Local groups noticed, and so did the NCAA. Today (Tuesday, Jan. 5) they honored the Vulcans with the Award of Excellence, which exemplifies the Division II philosophy, identity, community engagement and student-athlete leadership initiatives among Division II institutions. 

Twenty-eight schools and one conference were named finalists for the 2021 Division II Award of Excellence. One finalist was chosen from each of the division's 23 conferences.. Six additional finalists were picked as at-large honorees for submitting a strong nomination that was not chosen as the finalist for their conference.

The national winner, runner-up and second runner-up will all receive cash prizes. The Vulcans are already guaranteed $500 as a finalist, to be used in a future community service project. The national winner will receive $2,500, the runner-up $1,250 and the second runner-up will earn $1,000.

Division II honors its members each year for conducting events that promote student-athletes giving back and serving as leaders within their communities or on their campuses. A committee of athletics administrators determined this year's finalists, and the national Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee selects the winner, who will be announced at the Division II business session Jan. 15 at the virtual 2021 NCAA Convention.

The Vulcans and Concordia (Calif.) were both selected from the Pacific West Conference. Through a partnership with the California and Hawaii Foliage Growers, UHH student-athletes and coaches picked and harvested over 15,000 ears of corn. Through their involvement, student-athletes learned more about agriculture and the hard work behind harvesting corn.

Hilo people and UH Hilo teams have always been very community service oriented, but the Vulcans took it to another level this past spring. They harvested corn, cooked breakfast at a recovery home, harvested coffee beans, drew attention to mental health, rallied students to vote and helped at a local food basket, among many other projects.

To see the original corn harvest story, click here.

To see the complete list of NCAA Division II Award of Excellence finalists, click here.