Badger Athletes Test the Gap Between Division III and Big Ten

McKena Ramos won two national titles at UW-Oshkosh and then transferred to UW-Madison.

The track and cross-country athlete from Sheboygan captured the indoor 800-meter and outdoor 1500-meter championships during his freshman year. He had made a private bet with himself that a freshman title would be enough reason to consider a move to Division I. He won both events and enrolled at the Badgers, where he now competes as a senior on both the track and cross-country rosters.

Ramos attributes his improved times to the higher intensity of competition in Madison. He notes that every teammate is at his level or above. The move also offers more travel and the chance to compete on the highest stage. His coach at Oshkosh, Eamon McKenna, did not expect Ramos to win a national championship as a freshman. McKenna described Ramos as talented but under the radar during the recruiting process.

Ramos is part of a growing trend in the Big Ten. Every school in the conference has at least one athlete who transferred from a Division III program. On the football side, Ricky Finco joined the Badgers from UW-Whitewater. The junior wide receiver primarily plays on the scout team. Ryan Ramczyk moved from UW-Stevens Point to Madison, where he posted an All-American season that improved his standing on NFL Draft boards.

The jump to Division I does not suit every athlete. Emma Paulson started her freshman year on the UW-Madison swim team. She found the competition level did not match her lifestyle and transferred to the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. At St. Thomas, a Division III school, Paulson won three individual national championships and earned nine individual All-American designations. She said her times met Division I standards, but the culture fit Division III better. She noted that swimming at the top level takes over a life, while at the lower level it is just a part of it.

Resource differences drive some of the decisions. Division III schools do not offer athletic scholarships. Their facilities are generally smaller than those at Division I schools, which invest more in programs. Ramos said the running workouts are similar, but Madison offers athletic training facilities like ice baths that Oshkosh lacked. He credited tutoring at the Fetzer Center and the ability to take exams while traveling for his academic success. Paulson said she has no designated academic services at St. Thomas and is held to the same standards as non-athletes.

Both athletes say they would make the same choice again. Ramos said he is absolutely happy and that competing for Madison had been his dream since middle school. McKenna told athletes that standing out in Division III creates opportunities. He added that the key question is whether an athlete can replace what makes them dominant at their current school.