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CASTLETON, Vt. (WCAX) – 50 years of organized sports at the Division III level may not seem like that long, but every minute counts for the world to those who play these games. While Middlebury and Norwich have accumulated hardware in recent decades, neither school was part of the original D-III in 1973. Three state colleges were: Castleton, Lyndon and Johnson, three key cogs in the new Vermont State University. Middlebury has become one of the premier athletic departments in Division III since entering championship competition in the mid-1990s. Current women's lacrosse head coach Kate Livesay played on the hockey team on turf and lacrosse at the turn of the millennium. “It’s really changed,” Livesay said. “Actually, when I was a player, that was when we first had limits. And then after I graduated, Google came into play. So it's really adapted and evolved over the last 20 to 25 years. And they are not alone. The eleven schools in the NESCAC have made the league a powerhouse across D-III sports. “When I started here, it was kind of the first NESCAC tournament,” LIvesay said. “When we talk about preparing for the NCAA Tournament, I think you know you've been tested like that every week of your season. You were really prepared in a different way going into the NCAA. But success isn't just defined on the grass, ice or hardwood for Vermont's college athletes. Many dedicate their time to improving the student-athlete experience for everyone. The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee was established in 1989 and Castelton sprinter Zackary Durr is the national representative for the Little East Conference. “It’s really nice to be able to meet different athletes from different schools,” Durr said. “And it’s really nice, especially for this university, to be able to present ourselves on a national level.” Durr says the committee's goal is to encourage student-athletes to give back to their community and help build friendly relationships between rivals on the field. “Getting more student-athletes involved who want to do more community service,” Durr said of the organization’s goals. “Organize more social events to allow student-athletes from different teams to get to know each other better. I think it's really important that all of our student-athletes support each other. “After the whistle blows, you'll see the teams mingling, you'll see best friends catching up, who went to high school together or played club games,” Livesay added. “You’ll see coaches shaking hands and talking about their families. So for me, what is this experience about, demanding so much of ourselves and our players, going out and playing hard and really being proud of what we put on the field while being collegial and respectful of our opponents throughout the path. » Castleton just saw an athlete earn All-American honors at the D-III Track and Field Championships, with Harrison Leombruno-Nicholson finishing 11th nationally in the javelin, while the Middlebury women's lacrosse team will look to earn a 4th back-to-back national championship Sunday afternoon.