For the second year in a row, the Humboldt State Athletics Department was named a finalist for the NCAA Division II Award of Excellence. This year, the Lumberjacks’ Dam Worth It movement earned this honor.  With this effort, Humboldt State was named one of the 26 schools and two conferences as the finalists for the 2022 Division II Award of Excellence, an accolade recognizing initiatives in the past year that exemplify the Division II philosophy, community engagement and student-athlete leadership.

“I am thrilled to learn that Humboldt has been named a finalist for the NCAA Division II Award of Excellence,” said Cooper Jones, Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics & Campus Recreation.  “This tremendous honor recognizes the outstanding work our department has done, and reinforces our commitment to student-athlete involvement in our community as part of our ‘Lumberjacks Graduate, Lumberjacks Serve, Lumberjacks Win’ vision statement.”

 Last year, the Lumberjacks received this prestigious honor for the women’s soccer and women’s basketball teams’ efforts for the HSU African American Center for Academic Excellence.  In September 2020, the Lumberjack women's soccer team made bracelets with donations going to the Humboldt State's African American Center for Academic Excellence. From October 15-19, 2020, the Humboldt State women's basketball team held "Race for Change" with donations also going to the African American Center for Academic Excellence.  The Race for Change was a 5K virtual bike, swim, run or walk to help bring awareness and make progress towards racial justice.  Both teams raised over a combined $2,000 for the African Center for Academic Excellence.

“All of us at Dam Worth It - Humboldt State are honored to be a finalist for  the Award of Excellence,” noted Grace Kasberger, Humboldt State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Executive Board Member and Dam Worth It-Humboldt State Branch leader.  

Back in September, the Humboldt State University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) joined Oregon State University and the University of Kentucky in the Dam Worth It Class of 2021. Dam Worth It's mission is to utilize the influential platform of sport, partnered with the power of storytelling to end the stigma surrounding mental health.

“Humboldt State was given the amazing opportunity to bring Dam Worth It Company to our students and staff in August of 2021,” added Kasberger.  “We have put an amazing team together that sees the impact this company can make. As a new initiative, our community trusted in the mission of Dam Worth It and has supported us every step of the way. This caused a spark in the community as our local high schools have joined us in the fight to end the stigma. We are very excited to see the lasting effects that Dam Worth It can do for our school, our community, and all of those in our conference."

The Dam Worth It leadership team at Humboldt State is led by Humboldt State's track and field student-athlete Grace Kasberger. Other members of the leadership team are Zoe Becker (women's track and field), Morgan Brant (softball), Macy Thomas (volleyball), Elliott Portillo (men's cross country), Rosa Granados (women's cross country), Anna Brondos (softball), Poppy Cartledge (women's soccer), Jared Del Real (men's track and field) and Ben Lindsey (men's track and field) and Chase Marcum (HSU's Associated Students).  Also on the leadership team will be Cooper Jones (Executive Director for Athletics/Recreational Sports), Joe Danahey (Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations), Haley Miller (Athletic Department Administrative Coordinator) and Cedric Aaron (Humboldt State CAPs' Liaison).  

 Humboldt State held its annual Dam Worth It Games at its women’s volleyball match on October 21 versus Cal Poly Pomona and women’s and men’s soccer matches versus Sonoma State.  Prior to the matches, the Lumberjacks held a brief ceremony bringing awareness to mental health with each team holding up signs stating why each student-athlete is “Dam Worth It”. “Humboldt State was given the amazing opportunity to bring Dam Worth It Company to our students and staff in August of 2021. We have put an amazing team together that sees the impact this company can make. As a new initiative, our community trusted in the mission of Dam Worth It and has supported us every step of the way. This caused a spark in the community as our local high schools have joined us in the fight to end the stigma. We are very excited to see the lasting effects that Dam Worth It can do for our school, our community, and all of those in our conference."

Dam Worth It began as a small mental health awareness campaign on the campus of Oregon State University during the 2018-19 school year.  The co-founders took off on a speaking tour that was funded by the PAC-12 conference where  they had the opportunity to speak to thousands of student-athletes and staff. Through these speaking engagements, they inspired, they motivated, and they gave these schools the tools they needed to start their own movements.  What started as the Dam Worth It campaign re-launched as the non-profit Dam Worth It Company last November 2020. It is now continuing to establish branches at both high school and college campuses across the country. For more information on Dam Worth It, go to https://www.damworthit.co/.

 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 campus.  A committee of athletics administrators determined this year's finalists, and the national Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will select the winner, which will be announced at the Division II business session Jan. 22 at the virtual 2022 NCAA Convention.

 Each finalist will receive $500.  The winner will receive $2500, the first runner-up will receive $1,250 and the second runner-up will receive $1,000.  All prize money is intended for future SAAC initiative or community engagement events.