USOPC/NCAA Para-College Inclusion Project

Para-College Inclusion Project - Wheelchair Track and Field

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the NCAA office of inclusion launched the Para-College Inclusion Project in 2022 to engage schools offering adaptive sport to collectively increase Paralympic sport understanding, awareness and connection across the collegiate landscape. This work evolved into an awareness subcommittee and three sport tactical teams: wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis and para track and field. Each of these teams identified a need to strengthen the college para sport infrastructure through shared operations, formal connections and sport cooperation. Discover more about the USOPC Paralympic Sport Development program and Olympians and Paralympians Made Here campaign or explore the journey to becoming an NCAA student-athlete.

Stay in the Game

High school student-athletes with disabilities can continue their athletic careers in college through competitive Para sport programs offered at over 20 colleges across 17 states, including sports like wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, para track and field and more.

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The USOPC/NCAA Para-College Inclusion Project launched several initiatives, including:

Para-College Inclusion Project - Wheelchair Women's Basketball

Wheelchair Basketball

The collaboration among the wheelchair basketball tactical team, USOPC, NCAA and National Wheelchair Basketball Association resulted in joint activations at the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four. A highlight was the second-annual Team USA vs. College All-Stars game, held during halftime of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship and in front of a crowd of more than 18,000. The College All-Stars team members were each selected by their coach from their respective college teams. Before this event, the NWBA hosted an open exhibition at Tourney Town with approximately 20 Cleveland Wheelchair Cavaliers basketball athletes. Additionally, the USOPC and NCAA partnered to have U.S. Paralympian Lindsey Zurbrugg on its Beyond the Baseline panel, highlighting the growth and challenges facing adaptive sports locally and globally. Moreover, during Tourney Town, Team USA wheelchair basketball athletes signed autographs for attendees of the Cleveland Wheelchair Cavaliers exhibition.

Wheelchair Tennis

Following a groundbreaking national collegiate wheelchair tennis exhibition during the 2023 NCAA Division I, II, and III Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships, the 2024 wheelchair tennis championships did not disappoint. The ITA National Collegiate Wheelchair Tennis semifinals were held at the same time and location as the 2024 NCAA Division I semifinals at Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and included the following college student-athlete matchups:

Auburn’s Gabe Puthoff defeated Alabama’s Martha Harris.
Arizona’s Eric Court defeated Houston’s Nicholas Tijerina.

On May 25, the ITA National Collegiate Wheelchair Tennis finals were held at the same time and location as the NCAA Division I tennis finals. Court defeated Puthoff for the singles championship.

Para Track and Field

On June 7-8, history was made. The second inaugural National Collegiate Wheelchair 100-Meter Championships were held during the 2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Championships at the University of Oregon’s famed Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Evan Correll and Hannah Dederick, both from Illinois, won the respective men’s and women’s championships. In the men’s race, Jason Robinson and Phillip Croft of Illinois placed second and third. In the women’s race, Hoda Elshorbagy from Illinois finished second and Chelsea Stein of Arizona took third. Sixteen student-athletes, eight men and eight women, earned qualification through regional qualifiers held at Illinois and Arizona.