Para-College Inclusion Project uplifting Paralympians
More than 70 U.S. Paralympians competed in an NCAA championship sport before taking the world stage at the 2024 Paris Games. Eleven other Paralympians, however, competed at an NCAA-connected event in a different capacity: as part of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee/NCAA Para-College Inclusion Project.
The program, launched in 2022, created several adaptative sport activations at NCAA-connected events the past two years. This provided adaptive student-athletes a new level of exposure to showcase their sports. The following student-athletes who competed at one of the activations also made the U.S. team for the 2024 Paralympics.
Women's wheelchair basketball:
• Josie Aslakson (UT Arlington/Arizona).
• Abby Bauleke (Alabama).
• Bailey Moody (Alabama).
• Becca Murray (Wisconsin-Whitewater).
• Courtney Ryan (Arizona).
• Lindsey Zurbrugg (Alabama/Wisconsin-Whitewater).
Women's para athletics (track and field):
• Hannah Dederick (Illinois).
• Jenna Fesemyer (Illinois).
• Jessica Heims (Northern Iowa).
• Eva Houston (Illinois).
• Chelsea Stein (Arizona).
The USOPC/NCAA Para-College Inclusion Project's activations are part of an extended commitment by both organizations to engage schools with adaptive sport while simultaneously increasing Paralympic sport understanding, awareness and connection at various NCAA championships. The work has been advanced by athletes and sport leaders representing the USOPC Collegiate Advisory Council and NCAA committees supporting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
"To see us develop and get more recognition and more partnerships with the NCAA is an incredible thing to experience and to witness," said Courtney Ryan, a former Division II soccer player whose journey to the Paralympics for Team USA women's wheelchair basketball underscores the need for more exposure. "They've done an incredible job at supporting us as well by providing us opportunities."
Ryan competed in the wheelchair basketball activations held at the 2024 NCAA Division I Women's Final Four in Cleveland and the 2023 NCAA joint women's basketball championships in Dallas. The most recent activation included the second annual Team USA vs. College All-Stars game, with over 18,000 attendees.
The National Wheelchair Basketball Association also hosted an exhibition at Tourney Town featuring 20 Cleveland Wheelchair Cavaliers athletes. Additionally, U.S. Paralympian Lindsey Zurbrugg participated in the USOPC-NCAA Beyond the Baseline panel, and Team USA athletes signed autographs during the event.
"We need more visibility," Ryan said. "If we get more visibility, that's going to provide more resources for these upcoming athletes."
Jessica Heims, a former track and field student-athlete at Northern Iowa and Team USA Paralympian, holds a similar belief. As an athlete representative on the USOPC/NCAA Para-College Inclusion Project, she helped push for the first national collegiate wheelchair racing championships, which were held in conjunction with the Drake Relays in 2023. The 2024 NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships hosted the activation this year in Oregon.
"I have had the privilege of representing my school, UNI, and my country, Team USA, at the Drake Relays, so I know how powerful this platform can be to showcase elite Para Track and Field performances and to offer an inclusive event experience for the fans," Heims said of the initial activation. "The crowning of the first-ever collegiate wheelchair national champion at Drake is a building block for great collegiate inclusion of adaptive sport."
Another activation included a national collegiate wheelchair tennis exhibition during the 2023 NCAA Division I, II and III Men's and Women's Tennis Championships. This year, the 2024 ITA National Collegiate Wheelchair Tennis semifinals and finals were held at the same time and location as the 2024 NCAA Division I semifinals and finals.
This year, the NCAA National Collegiate Fencing Championships featured a parafencing demonstration for the first time. While this event was not a direct creation of the USOPC/NCAA Para-College Inclusion Project, its indirect impacts can be seen through the collaboration it required — USA Fencing, the USOPC, NCAA and Ohio State all worked together on the activation.
Two-time Team USA Paralympian Ellen Geddes, while not part of the fencing activation, applauded it as a major step forward for the sport and adaptive athletics generally.
"We need all of the exposure we can get," Geddes said. "So I think it was great that they were able to do a demo at the NCAAs. I would really hope that through that, some schools were made aware that wheelchair fencing would be something that they could offer to some of their athletes."
Lauryn DeLuca — a 2016 Paralympian, Ohio State graduate and USA Fencing Board member — was a key part in pushing for the parafencing demo. Her experience trying to find a college further emphasizes the importance of these activations.
"At that time, collegiate coaches didn't think something like this could happen, almost forcing me to retire early to pursue an education," DeLuca said. "The coaching staff at The Ohio State University did a historic thing in 2018 by allowing me to be involved in their prestigious fencing team as a parafencer. Since my graduation, they have remained committed to para inclusion leading up to assisting with this historic demo. Now, because of this demo, little boys and girls with disabilities will know they belong in the NCAA."
The NCAA and USOPC's important work to enhance exposure, opportunities and education around Paralympic sports will continue beyond the Paralympics. The two organizations recently launched a webpage designed to be a one-stop shop for high school athletes and college administrators while serving as a vehicle for growth of para sport programs and athlete participation at campuses across the nation. Additionally, a wheelchair tennis activation will take place at Baylor in November as part of the NCAA Individual Championships.
"It has been thrilling to see so many Team USA athletes, who have been part of the USOPC/NCAA Para-College Inclusion Project, compete for gold and greatness in Paris," said Jean Merrill, director of inclusion at the NCAA. "The NCAA is proud to be a part of a growing momentum around adaptive sports at the collegiate level. Whether through NCAA sports teams or adaptive sports teams, the USOPC and NCAA are committed to bringing visibility to and opportunities for student-athletes with disabilities."
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