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Special Olympics group photo
Eloise Franz

General Aimee Lee '28

Swarthmore Athletics Celebrates NCAA Division III Week, Hosts Second-Annual Special Olympics

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The Swarthmore College Athletics Department celebrated NCAA Division III Week from April 6-12, an annual nationwide initiative focused on strengthening the division's identity by highlighting the leadership, service, and academic achievement of Division III student-athletes. Throughout the week, Swarthmore hosted a series of outreach events in collaboration with community partners, continuing a strong commitment to community service, inclusion, and engagement. 

On Saturday, April 11, the Garnet celebrated their partnership with Team IMPACT, an organization that connects children facing serious illness and disability with college athletic teams. Student-athletes, Team IMPACT athletes, and their families gathered for a lunch at Sharples Commons to reflect on a meaningful year with the program. Earlier that day, the men's soccer program also hosted a signing day for its Team IMPACT athlete, Abu, marking a milestone in the team's ongoing relationship with the organization. Swarthmore supports five Team IMPACT athletes across its programs, and welcomes Abu to the Garnet family. 

Team IMPACT lunch

Joseph Eyiolowope '26, a Team IMPACT fellow and a men's soccer senior, highlights the organization's importance to building a more inclusive and diverse culture within Garnet teams.

"Team IMPACT athletes have pushed all five of our teams to care about much more than winning," says Eyiolowope. "The beauty of Team IMPACT is that, as much as the matches gain a family environment from being part of the team, our athletes also grow in their empathy and become role models for these young children. At the end of the day, [Team IMPACT] pushes all members of our community to show up for each other, which makes the whole team stronger."

Swarthmore has hosted several Team IMPACT events throughout the year, including a jersey-designing workshop in March in collaboration with Design FC, a nonprofit founded by two Swarthmore men's soccer alumni, as well as a Team IMPACT awareness triple-header in October. In the fall, student-athletes also traveled to Philadelphia to participate in the IMPACT Philly Field Day, and took part in the All In 5K alongside athletes from nearby colleges.

"The camaraderie was great to see, with students from so many different schools coming together to cheer on the Team IMPACT athletes and runners," says Eyiolowope on the 5K.


In addition to Team IMPACT, Swarthmore Athletics celebrated its partnership with Special Olympics Pennsylvania. On April 12, the Garnet hosted its second annual sports clinic with multiple athletic teams volunteering to organize competition at rotating stations between volleyball, soccer, and basketball, and body weight exercises, and nutrition.

"It's an awesome opportunity for our athletes who haven't had a chance to go college, and to have mentors who are of the same age to do things with," says Heather, the fundraising co-chair of Special Olympics Delaware County and a parent of a Special Olympics athlete.

"The athletes wanted to come back again this year," says another parent, "so we signed up again!"

"What is special about our collaboration with the Special Olympics is that all of Swarthmore is working together as one," says SAAC Vice President and field hockey senior Sarah Cooper '26. "Swarthmore student-athletes and Special Olympics athletes are creating an environment where teamwork, encouragement, and mutual respect are the focus." 

For many student-athletes, these initiatives reshape how they understand their role in athletics beyond focus on competition. 

Sophomore basketball player Kobi Gyan Jr. was one of the many student-athletes who volunteered to help run stations. "Being a part of a community of service-minded athletes definitely instills in me a sort of gratitude as a basketball player," he says, "Especially at an event like the Special Olympics, where I get to share my love of sports with others, I am reminded of how grateful I am to be playing college basketball. Seeing how much fun the participants will definitely remind me to enjoy every second I have on the court with my teammates."

"Of course it is fun to win – and that is always the goal – but when our four years are up and we decide how we'll continue to make an impact in athletic spaces and beyond, I hope this reminds Swarthmore students about their why," reflects Cooper. "At any time, our relationship with our sport could change. However, if we collectively work to make athletics an opportunity for everyone, we have the potential to change lives."

Eyiolowope further explains, "I understand how tense and narrow-minded the environment of competitive athletics can be, so it is on us as student-athletes to take the initiative to create a more inclusive space. Creating an environment where we can sometimes detach from that intensity…gives student-athletes the opportunity to develop empathy, patience, and leadership in ways that go beyond the field. These experiences remind us that our impact is not just measured by wins and losses, but by how we show up for others and the kind of community we help create."

 
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