NCAA DIII Week: Gulls Explore the Amazon

BEVERLY, Mass.-  With the NCAA celebrating its annual “DIII Week” this week, Endicott has chosen to highlight multiple student-athletes and explore how the NCAA Division IIII model has enabled them to make the most of their college experience.  “Discover, Develop, Dedicate,” the “three D’s” of NCAA Division III. They provide an abbreviated summary of why student-athletes choose the NCAA Division III model to perform at their highest capabilities both in the classroom and in intercollegiate competition.  For this piece, we had the pleasure of speaking with two student-athletes, Morgan Bresnahan and Tyler Willgoos, that traveled to Peru and the Amazon as part of their Tropical Ecology class over January break.  Bresnahan, a member of Endicott’s field hockey team, and Willgoos, a member of the men’s volleyball team, shared stories about their experiences and let us know how this opportunity has enriched Endicott’s experiential learning philosophy.

Morgan Bresnahan, a junior forward on the field hockey team that won the CCC Championship her freshman year and advanced to the NCAA tournament, jumped at the opportunity when she was told by Dr. Sergio Inestrosa, Endicott’s Faculty Athletic Representative.  “I originally wanted to go on the Costa Rica trip so I talked to Sergio who informed me about this new opportunity to Peru,” stated Bresnahan. “Being a biotechnology major with minors in international studies and environmental science, I was immediately more interested and intrigued by this trip than the original Costa Rica trip. Sergio sent me to Professor Tripler who was able to convince me to go in less than a minute, I was that excited about it.”

Tyler Willgoos, a sophomore outside hitter on the men’s volleyball team that won the NECC Championship during his freshman season and advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals, took advantage of his personal relationship with his professor to explore his options about the trip.  “This opportunity to go to Peru came about through my environmental science professor, Chris Tripler, who was pitching the idea to our class about how amazing the trip would be. After talking to him individually about all that we would be doing, I was set on going.”

As the trip was to further their education, each student had a topic to research while abroad.  “I did a project on the diversity of fish in the Oroza River,” stated Bresnahan.  “Our field station was located on the Oroza (a tributary of the Amazon River). I spent my time fishing off of the boat where I was able to collect 30 fish, of the 30 fish there were 12 different species. I then dissected each fish, found the stomach, opened the stomach, and attempted to identify what its last meal was. I was able to identify fish meat, fish scales, insect parts, seeds from fruit, algae and other plant matter, and wood pieces. With the data I collected I constructed a food chain of my sampling area.” 

For Willgoos, he chose to focus on insects in the Amazon.  “I chose to study the biodiversity of insect species on different stages of decomposing trees on the forest floor. The entire class was able to study various topics together in the jungle such as tropical fish, plant, and bird biology and diversity. In the jungle setting, I learned a variety of skills about conducting field research and contingency plans when things weren't going quite right.”

With the NCAA DIII philosophy built around an “academics first” belief, Bresnahan and Willgoos are aware that this opportunity may not have been possible at a more athletically driven division.  “Being a DIII student-athlete, I was allowed to miss my preseason when going on this trip, which never would have been an option in DI sports,” stated Willgoos.  “Being able to dedicate myself to my academics as well as my team is an attribute that only playing DIII sports could have giving to me.  As a DIII student-athlete, this trip helped me appreciate the opportunity I have to play a sport at a college level. In Peru, there are plenty of kids who love to play volleyball (there are even nets set up at multiple villages on the Amazon River) who don't even realize the amount of people in the world who play the same sport.” 

Bresnahan echoed Willgoos’ sentiments, stating, “Being a DIII athlete was one of the best decisions I made when going through the college search. I am able to participate in a sport I love, while engaging in other activities that interest me, like this trip, a research independent study, and being a member of the biotech society. Most importantly though, I love the emphasis of the importance of education in DIII and how our team’s cumulative GPA is important and we strive to keep that as high as we can. I am not in any way sacrificing my education to be part of the athletic community at Endicott and have gotten many of opportunities that will help me in my future career.”

Both student-athletes were also quick to encourage all current and future Endicott student-athletes to take advantage of such opportunities when they present themselves.  “Don't even think twice about going,” said Bresnahan.  “This was honestly the opportunity of a lifetime. How many people can say they went to a field station in the Amazon that was only accessible by boat and took about 12 hours going with the current, to get to? This has given me a whole new perspective on life and how different every nook of the world is.  I'm hungry to see more and do more now.”

Willgoos shared Morgan’s thoughts, saying, “I would highly recommend to any student athlete to go on a similar trip. It is an incredible experience to be able to expand your education through traveling and immersing yourself into the area. Being away from home and being put in an unknown setting also makes you appreciate what you have more like your family, friends, and teammates.”

The sophomore related his trip and experience straight back to athletics as well.  “I would tell an incoming DIII student-athlete to take advantage of the opportunities that are presented through your schools academic programs as well as their athletic programs. Being part of a DIII team is an experience that brings you closer to students that share similar passions to your own and who will stay close to you wherever your academics take you outside of the court.”

While both have excelled on the field of competition, both are more importantly thriving in the classroom, each sporting GPA’s above a 3.3.  As their teams continue to strive for excellence on the fields, winning championships and pushing further into the NCAA tournaments, the NCAA Division III mentality is present on each roster, with the field hockey team recently claiming their eighth consecutive NFHCA Team Academic Award with a 3.33 GPA, and the men’s volleyball team posting a 3.18 GPA.