HUNTSVILLE | The University of Alabama in Huntsville Department of Athletics has been named a finalist for the 2022 Division II Award of Excellence for Junior Chargers Bedtime Stories.
 
Junior Charger Bedtime Stories featured UAH student-athletes reading children's books over Zoom to local elementary schools and children enrolled in the Early Learning Center on campus. These readings throughout the fall semester on Thursday nights.
 
Twenty-six schools and two conferences were named 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. Six finalists were picked as at-large honorees for submitting a strong nomination that was not chosen as the finalist in their conference.
 
UAH is the representative from the Gulf South Conference.
 
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 campuses. A committee of athletics administrators determined this year's finalists, and the national Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee selects the winner, who will be announced at the Division II business session Jan. 22 at the 2022 NCAA Convention.
 
Each finalist will receive $500. In addition, the winner will receive $2,500, the first runner-up will receive $1,250 and the second runner-up will receive $1,000. All prize money is intended to be used for future SAAC initiatives or community engagement events.