USOPC, NCAA Office of Inclusion Para-college Partnership Continues

Three collegiate national championships will also have adaptive sports activations as part of the overall event, the NCAA Office of Inclusion and United States Olympic and Paralympic Committe have announced in the latest USOPC/NCAA Para-College Inclusion Project that was originally announced in 2023.

Programming efforts will again be implemented in wheelchair basketball, track and field and wheelchair tennis. This year’s activations has been advanced by athletes and sport leaders representing the USOPC Collegiate Advisory Council and various NCAA committees supporting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Last year, the USOPC and NCAA Office of Inclusion had adaptive sport initiatives across the Women’s Final Four, Drake Relays and ITA Fall National Championships.

“We’re thrilled to continue our groundbreaking collaboration on Paralympic awareness and opportunities with the NCAA Office of Inclusion,” said Julie Dussliere, USOPC chief of Paralympics. “The overwhelming response from colleges and athletes last year was astounding, and we’re eager to spotlight Para sport and the importance of growing the collegiate pipeline to even more athletes, schools and fans nationwide.”

The USOPC and NCAA will also launch a sports hub intended to serve as a vehicle for growth of Para sport programs and athlete participation across campuses across the nation. Targeted to high school athletes and college administrators, the aim of growing the Paralympic footprint in the U.S. will be launched in the coming months.

“The NCAA is distinctly honored to once again partner with the USOPC to create awareness about Para sports at the collegiate level, celebrate collegiate Para sport student-athletes, and to foster participation opportunities,” said Jean Merrill, NCAA director of inclusion. “In a Paralympic Games year, we acknowledge the critical role our NCAA member institutions play in building a pipeline for Team USA and for fostering lifelong health and wellness.”

This year’s initiatives include

• The USOPC, NCAA and National Wheelchair Basketball Association will present a Team USA vs. College All-Star Game during halftime of the Division I Women’s championship game on April 7 in Cleveland. The presentation will include an athlete recognition ceremony and scrimmage during the 8-minute halftime window. Additionally, two events will be coordinated during the NCAA’s Tourney Town activations on April 6 which include a scrimmage hosted by the local Cleveland Wheelchair Cavaliers club team and panelist inclusion in the NCAA’s Beyond the Baseline series.
• For the second year in a row, collegiate wheelchair tennis will have a presence at the NCAA Division I tennis championships. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association, USTA and NCAA will include the final four of the national collegiate singles wheelchair tennis championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma set to take place May 24–25 with both the semifinal and final wheelchair matches on the primary courts timed between the NCAA championship singles and doubles finals.
• For the first-time in history, the national collegiate wheelchair championships in the 100-meter races will take place as part of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships from June 7-8 in Eugene, Oregon. The top eight men and eight women from the preliminary qualifiers hosted at the University of Arizona and University of Illinois will join their fellow NCAA student-athletes at Hayward Field.