The Top 25 D3 Athletic Facilities
A definitive list of the D3 schools with the best athletic facilities in 2025
Think Division 3 Athletics means cramped gyms, small stands, and outdated weight rooms?
Think again.
Today, we’re releasing our ranking of the Top 25 D3 Athletic Facilities in the country.
From cutting-edge training centers to venues that could host pro events - many of these D3 setups will make your local D1 college sports program jealous.
The full Top 25 ranking of D3 Schools is live, let’s see where yours stacks up.
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These are the D3 Schools with the best athletic facilities in the country.
Last year we compiled a ranking of the Top 25 Most Beautiful D3 Campuses. Check it out to see who landed at #1!
Now, here’s how we determined the Top 25 D3 Athletic Facilities in 2025 👇
How We Created Our List
We aggregated multiple rankings (full source list below), but none were organized in a meaningful way (ex: One list based on student feedback, others only for one sport). As a result, schools mentioned in general rankings received 10 points, while those mentioned in a sport-specific list received 5 points.
Because we value the input of our followers, we polled Twitter (X) for their take on the best D3 Athletic Facilities. We assigned 3 points for each time a school was mentioned in the comments of this post (up to 10 points)
To ensure we’d scraped everything the web had to offer, we brought ChatGPT and Reddit into the debate. If a D3 Athletic Facility was mentioned in ChatGPT’s output (and wasn’t from a duplicate source), we assigned 10 points, and if it was mentioned on Reddit we awarded 2 points.
Finally, we selected a few wildcard schools with notable facilities that didn’t show up in existing rankings. Then we narrowed it down to the Top 25 to create the definitive list of the best D3 Athletic Facilities in 2025.
A total of 70 D3 schools registered points after we summed up all of the categories. The highest possible score was a 52 (On all four lists, mentioned on Twitter (X) 4x, ChatGPT, Reddit, and Editor’s Choice). Spoiler alert - no school scored a 52.
Enjoy!
The Top D3 Athletic Facilities
1. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) Colleges
Image via CMS Athletics
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps’ (CMS) D3 athletes train and compete in top-tier facilities like the 144,000 sq. ft. Roberts Pavilion (pictured - one of the best D3 basketball arenas in the country) and the NCAA-tournament hosting Biszantz Family Tennis Center. The shared CMS system combines resources from three colleges, giving its D3 student-athletes access to a wider range of fields, courts, and wellness spaces than most small liberal arts schools. With LEED-certified design, championship-ready venues, and a focus on both competition and student wellbeing, CMS facilities stand out nationally, not just amongst D3’s.
To cement the number one spot further, CMS is also in the process of building the Roberts Campus Sports Bowl. In Phase One alone this will add brand new facilities for the following: “Track and field competition venue, lacrosse/football field, and a golf practice facility…as well as support facilities with locker rooms, meeting spaces, and sports medicine services.” (CMC.edu) The addition of the Sports Bowl will likely land CMS at the top of our list for a while, pending massive facility upgrades at any other D3 schools.
Total Score: 26
2. Middlebury College
Image via Sasaki
Middlebury College’s athletic facilities include the 110,000 sq. ft. Virtue Field House (pictured) with an indoor track, turf field, and LEED Gold design, plus an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Student-athletes can also train and compete at the Middlebury Snow Bowl and Rikert Nordic Center, making it one of the few D3 colleges with school-owned ski areas.
Middlebury also has one of the best D3 Hockey arenas in the country, which was referenced specifically in response to our original ask about D3 Facilities on Twitter (X). Here’s what it looks like packed with 2,120 fans for a D3 Women’s Hockey matchup between Middlebury and Kenyon.
Total Score: 24
3. Colby College
Image via Colby News
Colby College massively upgraded their facilities in the form of the 350,000-square-foot, $200-million Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center. In our opinion, this is the most comprehensive standalone facility in all of D3 and it has just about everything a D3 athlete needs. You can watch a facility tour in the original post here!
Colby slots in at number three because Middlebury and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps were just a bit more well rounded in their overall facilities. However, given how dedicated Colby’s administration seems to be on improving athletic facilities, we wouldn’t be surprised to see them competing for the top spot in the next few years.
Total Score: 23
4. University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor’s sports facilities include the Mayborn Campus Center, a comprehensive 122,000-sq.ft. building with a 2,500-seat arena, indoor track, natatorium, and training/facility labs.1 But their crown jewel is Crusader Stadium (pictured), one of the best D3 Football facilities in the country. Maybe everything is just bigger in Texas, but this D3 football stadium has always stood out as an incredible place to watch a game. UMHB’s volleyball & basketball arena is also one of the best in the country - not just amongst D3 athletic facilities.
For the latest on everything UMHB athletics, you can always head over to Tru to the Cru, a blog maintained by up-and-coming D3 journalist, Riley Zayas. He also writes a weekly (and free) D3 Women’s Basketball newsletter during the season called The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops. Both are excellent reads, especially if you’re looking to learn more about D3 sports generally.
Total Score: 19
5. Bowdoin College
Image via Bowdoin Athletics
Bowdoin College does not have a new D3 athletics building like the other members of the Top 5, however it makes it in on the strength its all-around offerings. From softball, to skiing, to hockey (pictured), all of their D3 facilities hold their own. Even more impressive when you consider that it has an enrollment of under 2000 students.
Bowdoin has ski facilities nearby at the Pineland Nordic Skiing Center, a two-tiered stands setup for its basketball and volleyball gym, plus nearby golf facilities for its men’s and women’s golf teams at Brunswick Golf Club.
When it comes to D3 facilities, the Polar Bears of Bowdoin are set!
Total Score: 18
T6. East Texas Baptist University
The athletic facilities at East Texas Baptist University stand out due to their recent, modern upgrades and sport-specific investments that give the Tigers a D1 feel within a D3 sports environment.
From the polished competition setting inside Ornelas Gymnasium to the turf softball complex and dedicated strength and conditioning spaces, ETBU has intentionally built venues that prioritize athlete development, game-day atmosphere, and recruiting appeal. The result is a campus where facilities are not just functional, but a visible commitment to competitive excellence in the ASC.
Their students also show out and have created a notable home field advantage for the Tigers. “At one point, ETBU volleyball had the third longest home winning streak of 18-matches from 2012-2015. The men's basketball team matched that with the longest home winning streak from 2014-16 which went to 22-games including going 18-0 in the 2014-15 season.” (ETBU Athletics)
Total Score: 17
T6. Roanoke College
Image via Roanoke College
Roanoke College’s all-purpose Cregger Center (pictured) is a fantastic setting for D3 basketball and volleyball. It has a large glass window oriented out towards the mountains which is particularly scenic as the sun is setting in Salem, VA.
Roanoke’s Kerr Stadium is home to men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey, and men’s and women’s lacrosse. The 1,400-seat venue is widely regarded as one of the top D3 outdoor athletic facilities, and has hosted multiple ODAC Championship games, NCAA Tournament contests, and the NCAA D2 & D3 Women’s Lacrosse Championships.
The Maroons also recently added a football team, which came with a variety of D3 facility upgrades.
Total Score: 17
T8. Hope College
Hope College boasts one of the best D3 basketball and volleyball arenas in the country in 3,400-seat DeVos Fieldhouse. When packed, like it is for games against another member of this list, there are few better D3 sports environments. Here’s a video from one of those game days.
Hope College’s campus also features dedicated facilities such as Van Andel Soccer Stadium, Boeve Baseball Stadium, Wolters Softball Stadium, the Etheridge tennis complex, Gordon Brewer Outdoor Track, and the Kresge Natatorium for swimming and diving. Additional athletic support comes in the form of modern amenities like the Jim Heeringa Athletic Center and versatile spaces in the Dow Center, providing strength, conditioning, and recreation opportunities for their D3 student-athletes across all sports.
Total Score: 16
T8. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Image via BluGold Athletics
UW–Eau Claire’s facilities are anchored by the brand-new Sonnentag Center, a 120-yard indoor turf fieldhouse paired with a modern wellness center, sports medicine hub, and offices for Blugold Athletics. Combined with McPhee Center’s courts, pool, and climbing wall plus expansive outdoor fields and tracks, UWEC offers one of the most comprehensive D3 athletic setups in the Midwest.
Check out this video of the new D3 basketball and volleyball facility that UWEC just built.
Total Score: 16
T8. Calvin University
Image via Calvin Knights Athletics
Recent renovations to the Soccer and Football facilities, to go along with the already impressive Van Noord basketball and volleyball arena (pictured), jumped the Knights of Calvin University into our Top 10.
We had a chance to visit Calvin during the Great Lakes Invitational Basketball tournament and were very impressed by their commitment to D3 athletics. Their AD walked us through their new football locker rooms and showed us a preview of what their building, including plans for what looks to be one of the best D3 football stadiums in the country.
Total Score: 16
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