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Rob Summers: Making history with every step

As a former baseball student-athlete at Oregon State University, Rob Summers was living the dream with a national championship behind him and a possible major league career in front of him. But it all changed in an instant when a tragic accident left him with a different dream: merely to walk again. Now the former baseball player is changing the face of paralysis and offering hope for millions who suffer debilitating spinal injuries.

Al Jarreau: Seven-time Grammy winner listens to the voices from his past

Al Jarreau saw success in three sports at Ripon College. Now he has found success on the stage.

Playing it Forward: Commitment to Service Among Student-Athletes

Being an NCAA student-athlete is demanding in terms of both time and energy. So, you might excuse them for focusing solely on sport and school during college.

2014 Division II Women’s Volleyball

To earn its first title since 2006, the Spartans had to square off in the tournament final against the only team that had beaten them all season. Their past errors were quickly erased.

2014 Division I Women’s Soccer

Three years in a row, the Seminoles were among the last four teams standing, but never triumphed. On their fourth try, they finally broke through, toppling Virginia and capturing the program’s first national championship.

Playing it forward

Student-athletes have a lot on their plates, but they believe in giving back and, even more importantly, they are making the time to do it. In addition to year-round community outreach efforts and partnerships with organizations like Make-A-Wish and the Special Olympics, NCAA schools take special time during the holiday season to give back to those around them.

Born to give back

Enforcement staffer Diane Dennis was taught from a young age about the importance of helping others. She lives that lesson every day.

NCAA staff gives back

The NCAA’s academic and membership affairs staff has been providing Christmas presents – with a personal touch – to a new family every year.

The Power of a Ball

A small purchase by Wisconsin women’s ice hockey player Brittany Ammerman led to a big empowering moment for women in two small Kenyan villages. Through fundraising Ammerman helped start the Nikumbuke Women's Soccer League.

Basketball strength and conditioning

Yearly programming and training for the long-term athletic development of basketball players requires careful planning and consideration. It’s safe to say that the common goals and desires of every coach is to reduce and prevent injury as much as possible within their control, improve performance on the court and build physically and mentally strong players that have great team chemistry, confidence, leadership skills and genuine care and love for each other.

Ask the expert: Anxiety and athletes – what can we do?

Anxiety disorders can affect a student athlete’s ability function effectively – academically, athletically or socially. Symptoms of anxiety disorders often worsen under stress. A student-athlete may be experiencing stress because of the transition of being away from home and adjusting to a new living situation, or worrying about achieving academically, or meeting performance expectations in his or her sport.

Understanding Student-Athlete Burnout

There is a school of thought in American sport today that “more is better.” Parents and coaches, perhaps dreaming of the spoils of athletic success, are encouraging kids at increasingly younger ages to specialize in a particular sport and to commit to year-round training in it. Cutting-edge physical training programs frequently require overloading athletes to obtain maximum training gains. The pressures to do and achieve more keep growing, and far too rarely is consideration given to the costs of operating in this non-stop fashion.

Moving On: Staying Physically Active After College Sports

The NCAA promotes a holistic approach to developing student-athletes during their college careers and beyond. Although there is increased public dialogue around the long-term health of college student-athletes, many athletic departments have yet to develop specific programs to address this issue. The current season of NBC’s popular show, “The Biggest Loser,” profiles former athletes who struggle to maintain their health and fitness after retiring from competitive sport.

2014 Division II Women’s Cross Country

The Lakers, who claimed their third consecutive national title with a score of 50 points, entered the meet as the heavy favorite. Six of the team’s seven runners earned All-America honors by placing in the top 40.

2014 Division II Men’s Cross Country

With an impressive record of finishing first or second in every NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country Championship since 2003, Adams State has become the team to beat. But on a cold, gray day in Louisville on a wet, muddy course, nobody was able to do it.

Caitie Goddard: Around the ball and around the world

Caitie Goddard came to the University of Detroit Mercy to compete in women's basketball, earn a degree and then launch her career in the business world. Little did she know her career would end up going in a totally different direction around the globe.

Record-setting defense carries Lynchburg

Hornets’ regular-season shutout streak provided a preview of how it would win a championship.

2014 Division II Women’s Soccer

First-year coach Jeff Hosler didn’t want his team talking about being a champion. Instead, they played like one in winning their fourth national title in six years.

2014 Division II Field Hockey

In only seven years, the Marauders have turned from a four-win team to a national champion that smothers opponents.

Making a Connection

The 13-year-old girl was homesick. It was Wednesday evening, only hours after she had arrived at the nonprofit agency set to become her new residence. She was surrounded by dozens of other kids who, like her, had faced abandonment, abuse, neglect, or some other form of trauma in their young lives.

Violet Palmer: Ball is on her court

Scared out of her wits, Violet Palmer made history Halloween night in 1997 when she became the first woman to officiate a regular-season NBA game. The former Division II basketball player has since gone on to referee more than a thousand games at the highest level of basketball, including the NBA playoffs.

2014 Division I Women’s Cross Country

It took just over 20 minutes for the women on the Michigan State University cross country team to race to their first NCAA Division I national championship Nov. 22. But the momentum for such a win, especially among a core group of graduating seniors, had been building for years.

2014 Division I Men’s Cross Country

One year ago, after hoisting the 2013 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships trophy above his head, University of Colorado, Boulder, runner Blake Theroux reflected on the mark his team made in the storied history of Buffs cross country. That season, he and his teammates had emerged from the shadows of successful teams before them, he explained, and showed that “Colorado is definitely going to be around for a long time.”

2014 Division III Field Hockey

The College of New Jersey fielded one of the most prolific offenses in school history this season, scoring 106 goals ‒ the third most in school history, and just one shy of leading the nation. But its lone loss of the season proved it couldn’t rely on its scoring ability to win a national title.

2014 Division III Women’s Volleyball

Hope’s women’s volleyball team started the season with a goal of taking the program to unprecedented heights.