Conn. College's Justin Finkel has been selected as the 2025 Region I Division III Commissioners Association Men's Sport Student-Athlete of the Year award. The award recognizes graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academic achievement, athletic excellence, service, and leadership. Finkel is the first student-athlete from Conn. College and the third from the NESCAC to garner the accolade.
As a biological sciences major, Finkel graduated from Conn. College with a 3.67 GPA. During his career, the swimmer was named a CSCAA Scholar All-American four times, a College Sports Communicators Academic All-American twice, a College Sports Communicators All-District honoree three times, and was a three-time NESCAC All-Academic Team selection.
Finkel was heavily involved in Zachs Hillel House at Conn. College. He served as a board member for three years and was the Shabbat programmer. He also shared his Conn. College experiences with newcomers and prospective students through the Connections at Conn. College program. Finkel shared personal experiences from the Public Health Pathway to inspire over 200 prospective students, families, first-years, and sophomores in the Connections program. Off campus, Finkel volunteers at the Department of Veterans Affairs, assisting various medical departments.
A four-time national champion and two-time CSCAA Division III Swimmer of the Year, Finkel finished his career as a 12-time All-American and is the current owner of the NCAA Division III record in the 200 butterfly. Finkel was voted the NESCAC Swimmer of the Year three times and won eight NESCAC titles while earning 13 All-NESCAC awards. He closed out his four years owning 10 Conn. College records and three NESCAC marks. The College awarded Finkel the Anita L. DeFrantz Award, and he was the recipient of the 2025 Jay Fiedler Outstanding Jewish College Athlete of the Year Award presented by the Jewish Sports Heritage Association.
All 20 regional winners advance to the national ballot, with the D3CA Women's Sport Student-Athlete of the Year and the D3CA Men's Sport Student-Athlete of the Year announced in September.
About the DIIICA: The Division III Commissioners Association became a stand-alone organization in January 1992, after previously serving as a combined group with the Division II Commissioners Association. The association is comprised of 43 NCAA Division III conferences, representing over 440 public and private institutions. The purpose of the DIIICA is to empower commissioners to effectively lead their conferences and positively impact Division III intercollegiate athletics by identifying challenges, developing solutions, and taking collective action that reflects the conference perspective.
