McKena Ramos joins growing pool of D-III athletes on Big Ten rosters

The Big Ten conference has reached a milestone in roster composition. Every one of the 18 member schools now lists at least one athlete who transferred from a Division III institution.

McKena Ramos, a senior from Sheboygan, exemplifies this shift. He arrived at UW-Oshkosh as a recruited track athlete and quickly exceeded expectations. Eamon McKenna, the track and cross-country coach at Oshkosh, recalled that the staff knew Ramos was talented but considered him under the radar. "I didn't think he would be able to come in and win a national championship as a freshman," McKenna said. Ramos became a five-time All-American and a two-time national champion in a single season, winning the indoor 800-meter and outdoor 1500-meter titles.

Ramos had set a personal condition before the indoor national meet. He decided that a freshman title would justify an upgrade to Division I. After achieving that goal, he transferred to UW-Madison, where he now competes for the Badgers. He attributes his improved times to the higher level of competition and the intensity of the environment. "The biggest difference athletically is the competition level; everyone is on your level and up," Ramos said. He also values the travel and the opportunity to compete on a major stage.

Ramos is not the only athlete making the jump. Two Badger football players have followed a similar path. Ricky Finco, a junior wide receiver who primarily plays on the scout team, transferred from UW-Whitewater after one year. Ryan Ramczyk, an offensive lineman, dominated at UW-Stevens Point before posting an All-American season in Madison that boosted his standing on NFL Draft boards.

The move to Division I is not universally successful. Emma Paulson, a swimmer, joined the UW-Madison team as a freshman but concluded the competition was not the right fit for her. She transferred to the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, a Division III school. "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, she finished her career with three individual national championships and nine All-American designations.

Resource differences define the structural gap between the two levels. Division III schools do not offer athletic scholarships and generally maintain smaller facilities than their Division I counterparts. Ramos noted that while running workouts are similar, Madison provides athletic training equipment like ice baths that Oshkosh lacks. He also cited academic support at the Fetzer Center, including tutoring and the ability to take exams while traveling, as factors in his success. Paulson, conversely, has no designated academic services at St. Thomas and is held to the same standards as non-athletes. She described the culture difference by noting that Division I swimming can dominate a student's life, while Division III is simply a part of it.

Both athletes said they would make the same decision again. Ramos stated that competing for Madison had been his dream since middle school. McKenna advised athletes to assess whether they can replace what makes them dominant at their current school. "If you stand out in DIII, you're going to have opportunities," he said.