Ferris State University Chosen As National Finalist For 2026 NCAA Award Of Excellence
Big Rapids, Mich. - Ferris State University has been named a finalist for the 2026 NCAA Award of Exellence as announced during this week's NCAA convention.
The award highlights initiatives that exemplify the Division II philosophy of community engagement and student-athlete leadership.
The Bulldogs' were selected as the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) nominee and a finalist for the prestigious honor thru the Ferris State STUNT program's "Golden Girls" program that launched this past fall.
"This is a tremendous honor for Ferris State University, Bulldog Athletics and our STUNT program to to be chosen as a national finalist for this award," said FSU Athletics Director Steve Brockelbank. "Our teams annually help give back to the local community and this was a great initiative that was implemented this past year that shows just how engaged our student-athletes are and how important service is to our programs."
The overall finalists were chosen by a committee of athletics administrators and the Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, with the SAAC members ultimately selecting the top three finalists. Those honorees, including the winner, will be announced at the Division II business session this month at the 2026 NCAA Convention in the Washington, D.C., area.
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.
The Ferris State STUNT program organized monthly "Pamper Days" at The Brook of Big Rapids assisted living facility, creating joyful experiences for the residents. The student-athletes partnered with the "Golden Girls" group for a halftime performance at a home football game, strengthening intergenerational connections. In their inaugural season, the 39-member team completed over 765 community engagement hours.
Ferris State was the only school from a GLIAC-member institution to be chosen as a national finalist.
The STUNT program will make its debut this spring at Ferris State and represents the first sport added by the university in 25 years. The sport is an exciting head-to-head competition between teams who execute skills-based routines in various categories including partner stunts, jumps and tumbling, pyramids and tosses along with team routines. It is one of the fastest-growing female sports in the country and becomes the 18th team in Ferris State's athletic program lineup.
The Bulldogs, under first-year head coach Perrmella Harris, will hold a Crimson & Gold Scrimmage on Jan. 24 at the Ewigleben Sports Complex and then officially open the 2026 campaign at home on Feb. 8 versus Michigan and Northern Kentucky in Big Rapids.