The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, NCAA and Drake today announced the field of competitors for the inaugural 100-meter national collegiate wheelchair championships. The event is slated for April 29 as part of the 2023 Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, and is one of several initiatives of the USOPC/NCAA Para-College Inclusion Project, which launched in late 2022 as a unified effort to partner with the collegiate community, athletes, national governing bodies and the NCAA to advance Para and adaptive sport.
"We're just scratching the surface of integrating adaptive sports into already long-standing collegiate athletics events, and we're excited to move the needle with track and field," said Sarah Wilhelmi, USOPC senior director of collegiate partnerships. "We couldn't be more proud to see this idea come to life at Drake later this month, and it wouldn't have happened without the great work of our Para-College Inclusion Project members, Drake and the NCAA."
To qualify for the finals, wheelchair student-athletes from around the country had the opportunity to participate in an eastern regional and western regional held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Arizona, respectively. The top three qualifiers from each regional earned their spot to compete in the finals at the Drake Relays, alongside the athletes who posted the next two fastest times at the qualifiers. The University of Michigan provided a grant to facilitate athlete participation in the championships, and eligible participants must be full-time students and have represented their institution in athletic competition during the 2022-23 academic year.
"It's such an honor to be a part of the first-ever wheelchair racing events at the Drake Relays," U.S. Paralympian Hannah Dederick said. "This is a huge step on the path of creating equal opportunities for Para athletes in college sports."
The women's 100-meter field is composed of seven competitors from three schools; they'll compete on at 2:54 p.m. Central time April 29 in the championship race. The seven racers:
- Hannah Dederick (Illinois), 2020 U.S. Paralympian.
- Jenna Fesemyer (Illinois), 2020 U.S. Paralympian.
- Eva Houston (Illinois), 2020 U.S. Paralympian.
- Jacie King (Arizona).
- Camryn Ledford (Arizona).
- Chelsea Stein (Arizona).
- Maria Velat (Michigan).
The men's 100-meter championship race will be held at 2:59 p.m. Central time April 29. The field is composed of eight competitors from two schools:
- Valera Allen (Arizona).
- Evan Correll (Illinois).
- Phillip Croft (Illinois).
- Aidan Gravelle (Arizona).
- Peyton Gunnarson (Arizona).
- Jason Robinson (Illinois).
- Dustin Stallberg (Arizona).
- Wyatt Willand (Arizona).
"Each year on the final Saturday of April, Drake Relays fans have celebrated athletic excellence for generation after generation, cheering competitors to 14 world records, 50 American records and countless personal bests. Crowning the first-ever collegiate national champions in wheelchair track and field is an exciting next chapter in the history of our event, and we're all proud of the partnerships that have brought it to life," said Blake Boldon, the Franklin P. Johnson director of the Drake Relays. "With two Iowa natives among the medal contenders, local fans will have an even greater rooting interest in this first-of-its-kind championship."
"The NCAA is honored to partner with the USOPC and Drake University for the inaugural 100-meter men's and women's collegiate championships as part of the Para-College Inclusion Project," said Jean Merrill, NCAA director of inclusion. "These incredible student-athletes are at the top of their sports and are remarkable ambassadors to their universities. We are thrilled to crown collegiate champions and to continue building awareness and opportunity at the collegiate level for adaptive sports."
Following the race, the top three competitors in each field will be recognized during a medal ceremony on the track. Media interested in receiving more information should reach out to Annemarie.Blanco@usopc.org. For more information about U.S. Paralympics Track & Field, please visit TeamUSA.org/usparatrackandfield.
