18 Big Ten Rosters Now Include At Least One D-III Transfer

McKena Ramos transferred from UW-Oshkosh to UW-Madison this fall, making him the final Division III athlete to appear on a Big Ten roster. His move completes a trend in which every one of the conference's 18 schools now lists at least one player who previously competed in the third division.

Ramos arrived at Oshkosh as a recruited track athlete. Coach Eamon McKenna said he did not expect the freshman to win a national championship. "When we were recruiting him, I didn't think he would be able to come in and win a national championship as a freshman," McKenna said. "We knew he was good and we knew he was a little bit under the radar."

Ramos set a personal condition before the indoor nationals. He decided that winning a title as a freshman would justify a move to Division I. He won the indoor 800-meter title and the outdoor 1500-meter title. He then accepted a spot at Madison. The Sheboygan native is now a senior competing for the Badgers in track and cross-country.

Ramos credits the higher competition level for improving his times. "The biggest difference athletically is the competition level; everyone is on your level and up," he said. He also values the travel and the chance to compete on a major stage. Two other Badger football players have made similar jumps. Ricky Finco transferred from UW-Whitewater after a year. Ryan Ramczyk moved from UW-Stevens Point and posted an All-American season in Madison that raised his NFL Draft prospects.

The move is not a universal fit. Emma Paulson swam for UW-Madison during her freshman season. She decided the intensity of Division I was not right for her and transferred to the University of St. Thomas, a Division III school in Minnesota. "I realized that people are different and have different fits, it might work for them, but it wasn't the right fit for me," Paulson said.

At St. Thomas, Paulson finished her career with three individual national championships and nine individual All-American designations. She noted that her times matched Division I standards, but the culture suited her better. "Swimming DI, it kind of takes over your life in a sense, but DIII [is] just a part of your life," she said. Division III schools do not offer athletic scholarships, and their facilities are generally smaller than those at Division I institutions.

Ramos noted that running workouts are similar at both levels, but Madison has resources like ice baths and dedicated tutoring at the Fetzer Center that Oshkosh lacked. Paulson said she is held to the same academic standards as non-athletes at St. Thomas. Both athletes said they would make the same choice again. Ramos said competing for Madison had been his dream since middle school.

McKenna advises athletes who stand out in Division III to expect opportunities. He said the key question is whether an athlete can replace whatever makes them dominant at their current school. Ramos remains with the Badgers for his senior season.