Purpose of Division III Athletics
The purpose of Division III athletic programs is to satisfy a need for many NCAA member schools to have an alternative to the expensive nature of what is now Division I and Division II athletic programs. Many of the 438 athletic programs are small private schools. Division III schools range in size from a minimum undergraduate enrollment of 348 to a maximum of 21,247, but the average enrollment is 2,717. This puts Trinity right at the average for a Division III school.
Division III athletics provides them with the ability to fund an athletic program and to have a competitive athletic program. The Division III athletic program model also allows student athletes to focus on academics at otherwise more stringent academic colleges or universities.