For the second consecutive year, fourth-year letterwinners will be able to wear their athletic careers on their fingers.

“When you receive an athletic letter for competition, the last letter you receive will be a ring,” said Rita Knight, secretary in the Athletic Department.

Knight said the rings are gold with a red stone in the middle and have “Iowa State University” engraved on them.

Knight said there are only two awards for college letterwinners.

“When athletes letter their first year, they receive a letter jacket and their last year they receive a ring,” Knight said.

She said the second and third year a student letters, they are recognized but do not receive an award.

Managers and trainers may also receive a ring, but the guidelines are different, Knight said. The guidelines of how athletes letter also differ with each sport.

In the past, athletes who lettered received a letter jacket, a yellow jacket, a red blanket with yellow trim and an “I” in the middle, and their last year they received a plaque, Knight said.

The limit that could be spent on the letter award was recently raised by the NCAA. Knight said a panel of athletic coordinators and students chose to issue the rings instead of plaques.

“This is the second year that athletes are receiving rings,” Knight said.

Lyle Smith, head baseball coach, said the coaches choose the letterwinners, and the number of athletes chosen to receive the award varies from year to year.

“The criteria involved in choosing a letterwinner involves the number of innings they play and how much they contribute to the team,” Smith said.

He said team members also may letter if they are injured during the season.

“If a player is injured, we’ll letter that person,” Smith said.

Jay Schindler, who was a fourth-year letterwinner on the swimming team last year, said he thinks the rings were “a great idea.”

“They are something that you would be proud to show off for the rest of your life,” said Schindler, senior in exercise and sports science.