Posted: Apr 12, 2013

Division III Week Profile - Chelsea Winegard

The NCAA celebrates the second annual Division III Week on April 8-14. In honor of the event, SimpsonAthletics.com will take a close look at five individuals who personify what it means to be a Division III student-athlete.

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Today we take a close look at the career of senior soccer and softball player, Chelsea Winegard. Winegard has excelled on the pitch and the diamond throughout her career and is a great example of the success dual sport athletes can achieve at a Division III school such as Simpson. Winegard was an all-conference performer in soccer as a junior and a four-year letterwinner. After focusing solely on soccer as a freshman, she decided to join the softball team as a sophomore, a move that has certainly paid off. She was a first team all-region and second team all-conference outfielder as a junior in 2012, and led the nation in batting average for a span early in the season. An integrated marketing communication student, Winegard plans to move to Charleston, S.C. after graduation to start her career.

Bio Blast

Name - Chelsea Winegard
Sports - Soccer, Softball
Major/Minor - Integrated Marketing Communication (creative concentration)/Sociology and Human Resources
Softball Honors - First Team All-Region, Second Team All-Conference (2012)
Soccer Honors - Honorable Mention All-Conference (2011)
Off the Field - Has been a writer for the Simpsonian and interned for the LS2group in Des Moines

Why did you choose Division III and Simpson in particular?

When it came to choosing a college I only looked at Division III because of the size of the college and the ability to continue sports. I felt like I would be lost at a bigger school and was not good enough to continue playing soccer or softball. Division III it me both of those. I had always looked into Simpson because my brother went here. He played on the soccer team so I had made many trips to Simpson to watch him over the three years he was here before I arrived. When I was on campus I felt very comfortable because of its size. I liked that the campus is all in one area, unlike the bigger universities and how they were set up. Since academics have always been important to me, I liked that the class sizes were small enough so that I wouldn’t get lost in the crowd. I would only have about 25 students in my class and would be comfortable talking to my professors if I needed their help. Aside from academics I chose Simpson because I knew I could continue my career in sports. Sports have been a huge part of my life and I wasn’t ready to let that go. Here I could focus on my academics and play a sport – which ended up turning into two.

What opportunities have you had as a Division III student-athlete that have made your experience special?

One great opportunity that I have had as a Division III athlete is to play two sports. Ever since I was little I had been in every sport possible, which kept me very busy. Soccer and softball have always been my two favorite sports so when I first came to college it was hard to stop playing softball, but I knew I needed to keep up with my academics. Surprisingly, it was much easier to play two sports and keep up with my academics. I learned how to manage my time so I could do both. With the amount of commitment other divisions have it probably wouldn't have been possible to do what I did at Simpson. However, my coaches have always been very flexible. I miss the off seasons of each sport, but am not penalized for that. I am given the opportunity to participate in both of the sports that I love because I chose a Division III school. So having the opportunity to continue playing soccer and softball these last four years was great.

Another great opportunity I have had is to build relationships through my sports teams. When I first came to Simpson I had to come two weeks early for soccer’s preseason. Within a day I had already made friends because I was part of a team. It made coming to college to much easier because I didn’t feel scared anymore. Every year I have made new friends simply through the soccer and softball team. They are great relationships that I may not have made if I wasn’t apart of those teams.

What is your favorite memory pertaining to your experience as a DIII athlete?

One of my favorite memories was in my freshman year of soccer. Coming in I was really scared and didn’t know how the transition of high school sports to college sports would be. I was one of the five freshman starters. We seemed to be a young team, but worked very well together. That year we went all the way to the conference championship, and had quite a path to get there. Every game we played up until that point was a challenge. Being able to compete in that tournament was one of the best times I had on the field. Every win was so exciting because it moved us closer and closer to the NCAA tournament. Although we lost 1-0 in the championship game, it was an amazing experience that I will never forget with my teammates.

In your mind, what does it mean to be a Division III student-athlete?

Being a Division III student-athlete truly shows that you are playing for the love of the game, and that is the best part for me. Since we can only receive academic scholarships, no one is paid to play whether you are the best player on the team or not. Knowing that each day you go to practice that everyone wants to be there makes it worthwhile. I think that is definitely something that each team I have been on has built off of – passion. Whether there was a lack of depth on the team or we were just going through a rough time with the basics of the game, we could always count on our passion for the game to come through.