At NYU, 38 graduate students contribute to the university’s vast catalogue of sports teams — a relatively large figure when compared to that of competing colleges. UAA rival Carnegie Mellon University, for example, boasts only 24 graduate student-athletes across all programs. Though NYU’s graduate student-athletes play side-by-side their undergraduate teammates, they carry one major distinction: years of experience. 

Karina Dyner, a graduate student and women’s fencer, came to the university after four years of fencing at Ohio State University, a Division I school. Making the switch to NYU, Dyner was skeptical: Could our athletics program live up to her experience at Ohio State?

“I thought maybe the team wouldn’t be as dedicated as the one in Ohio State, but I was pleasantly surprised that that was not the case,” Dyner said in an interview with WSN. “Obviously, we had a really big athletic program in Ohio State, so there were more athlete benefits and facilities and everything — but here, we also have everything we need, so I was pleasantly surprised in that sense.”

Division III student-athletes are normally allowed up to four years of eligibility to participate in sports within a 10-semester window. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA granted athletes whose seasons were affected an extra year of eligibility. 

For Dyner, academic prestige was a primary factor in her decision to come to NYU. 

“NYU was the best choice I could possibly have picked, just because of the professors, how well connected they are, how much experience they bring and how they really care about getting to know you and helping you get to where your goals are,” Dyner said. “That’s something I really value about this program, and it’s really preparing me for that.”

For other athletes, like graduate student and men’s wrestler Trent Furman, proximity to home is a major motivator. Furman was also an undergraduate student at NYU and is the 10th wrestler in the university’s history to reach 100 wins.

“My parents and family can come to a lot of wrestling matches,” Furman said in an interview with WSN. “So that’s big because they obviously supported me throughout my childhood and then into college. The city is like no other place to live. So if they want a small college town, it’s probably not going to be where they should choose. There’s a lot of opportunities with NYU regarding being in the city.”

Graduate student and men’s basketball player Jack Stone came to NYU from Carnegie Mellon, where he was an AII-UAA First Team selection. Stone, similarly to Furman, saw New York City as a promising location to start his athletic career.

“Ultimately it came down to the location and what I wanted to do for a career, which is ultimately to work in sports,” Stone said. “Being in New York, the mecca of sports — for me, it was a no-brainer.”

Stone was also drawn to NYU Athletics’ recent successes in women’s basketball, which proved to be a driving force behind his decision to attend the university. 

For graduate student and women’s swimmer Elle Motekaitis, playing in D-III sports was more favorable than D-I competition.  

“I just think Division III is really fun —  that was my goal coming in, to have a lot of fun in my swimming this year,” said Motekaitis, who was a four-year team member at D-I University of California Davis. “Overall, it’s a lot more fun. There is a really nice balance of living in the city and also being a college athlete.”