The Move to Division II Keeps CSI Athletes on Their Toes

By: Danny Cacace 

This is the NCAA Division II Make It Yours logo that CSI is now officially apart
of. Credit: http://www.csi.cuny.edu

On July 12th 2019, the NCAA accepted CSI as a qualified member of NCAA Division II moving themselves up from Division III. 

The move to Division II will allow CSI’s athletes to prove themselves worthy throughout the years to come.

 “I think we definitely got to practice harder, it’s definitely a big step for our program,” Christian Taylor, Starting Point Guard for the Men’s Basketball team said when asked about his expectations for CSI now moving from Division III to Division II. “I want to improve as a leader, work harder in practices and make it as far as we could.”

 CSI will now be associated with the Make It Yours brand which was ratified by the NCAA back in 2015. This brand makes sure that student-athletes will be at the top of their game when it comes to their academics. 

Graduation is a must for them and the academic experience is more up close and personal than ever before in making sure that the students are on target with their schoolwork from the start of the semester till the end.

  CSI will now also be apart of the 48% of public schools that are Division II schools. 

One might ask “Why did CSI go and make the move up to Division II?”

Well, according to csidolphins.com, it states that “The move is consistent with the strategic plan at the College, designed to continue the academic-based success of our students through scholarship and to build the residence community as a destination campus.”

 Division II has its similarities to Division III but is an upgrade over that division in terms of making sure the athletes are more focused on school. This can give some athletes more pressure already knowing that school should always be a top priority but this division will make sure that the athlete will graduate on time, and as soon as possible. 

If a CSI athlete is ever in need of help in one of their classes, there are some tutoring centers in the school that will provide assistance to the student to assure them that they will get the help that they need.

 The athletes go out every game to prove their worth and showcase their talent. One might also wonder which athlete will stumble upon the pressure and who will face it head-first and ignore the doubters with this move up to Division II. 

 “There’s a lot of expectations to meet such as a lot of competition, and we expect to be more focused on teamwork; but we’re a big family which helps,” Stephanie Da Silva, a thrower for the Women’s Track and Field team said when asked about expectations to meet now joining Division II. “Each one of us have different types of goals but for throwers, we’re expected to build more strength and throw further.”

 This move to division II for CSI sports teams can bring a bigger audience to attend and watch their games due to the fact that they are now in a higher division which makes their games more of a pleasure to watch in person. The more people who attend their games will make CSI sports more mainstream which can only be a good thing for CSI. 

It’s now up to the players to show up and bring what they got every single game and win as many games as possible to attract a wider audience. 

 CSI moving up to Division II shows that they really care for the athletes, only want to see them succeed in their respective sports, and to graduate on time. 

This is why this move will allow the players to prove that they are capable of maintaining their priorities with their academics and to do their best for the sport they play for. This is up to the athletes to decide how they will determine their future going forward with CSI.

  The future is now in CSI and it can only get brighter with the moves that they will keep on trying to make for their sports teams.