When we launched the Kidsburgh Podcast in 2024, our very first interview guest was former Pittsburgh Pirate Travis Snider. We knew that his message was one that could help many families: The growing professionalization of youth sports has made athletics a source of tremendous stress for many kids, but parents and coaches can change that. 

We shared Travis’s advice again last summer as the school sports season was approaching. Now, midway through the school year, we were glad to see that the New York Times interviewed Travis about finding ways to ensure a mentally healthy experience for kids in youth sports. 

Their recent article — “As Youth Sports Professionalize, Kids Are Burning Out Fast: A growing body of research shows how pressure from overbearing coaches and parents is stunting children’s emotional well-being and leading to injuries” — explores the issues that kids face and the ways parents can help. 

“Though he reached the highest level of his sport, Mr. Snider felt that distorted priorities turned baseball into a burden, something he wanted to help others avoid,” the New York Times writes. “Last year, he started a company, 3A Athletics, to help children, parents and coaches develop healthier approaches to sports that include separating professional aspirations from the reality that most young athletes just want to get some exercise and make friends.” 

“We as a culture really blended the two into the same experience, which is really toxic for kids as they’re going through the early stages of identity formation,” Mr. Snider said. “You have a lot of parents who are sports fans that want to watch youth sports the same way they watch pro sports without recognizing, hey, the thing I love the most is out there running around on the field.”

To learn more about healthy sports parenting, listen to this episode of the Kidsburgh Podcast. 

Photo by Adrià Crehuet Cano via Unsplash.

A dejected, 9-year-old NaVorro Bowman Jr. stared at the car’s passenger-side floor mats as tears inched down his cheeks after his first tryout with the Team Takeover AAU basketball program in Washington, D.C.

When the coach had the best players scrimmage at the end of the session, he abrasively instructed Bowman to take a seat against the wall.

As Bowman and his mom drove away from the gym, he sobbed and said he didn’t want to play basketball anymore.

“I was going as hard as I could, and when the coach told me to sit while everyone else was playing, I was going through all types of emotions,” Bowman recalled.

Playing against those seasoned Team Takeover kids proved more difficult than slam dunks on the mini-hoop in the San Francisco 49ers Kids Room at Levi’s Stadium while his father, NaVorro Bowman Sr., forged his legacy as one of the greatest linebackers in franchise history.

“Little NaVorro could move his feet because he played soccer,” said his mother, Mikale Bowman. “He was really good at defense, but had problems getting the ball up the court. He also couldn’t shoot very well. He was crying. He felt defeated.”

He didn’t stay that way. Bowman Jr. has since developed into one of the nation’s premier high school basketball prospects in the Class of 2027.

The 6-foot-3 junior guard, ranked No. 46 in the 2027 ESPN SCNEXT 60, is starring for Notre Dame High School, which plays Sierra Canyon High on Friday in a boys’ basketball game between two of California’s top teams (ESPN2, 11:30 p.m. ET).

Bowman Jr. holds scholarship offers from UCLA, USC, Villanova, Cal, TCU and his father’s alma mater, Penn State, among others.

“I’ve been blessed to coach a lot of high-level kids,” Notre Dame head coach Matt Sergeant said. “I don’t know if I’d rank anyone higher than NaVorro in terms of his desire to compete. He wants to win every drill, fights for every inch on the court, and accepts coaching. And he’s a smart, funny kid with an innate Magic Johnson-type joy that can light up any room.”

After that Team Takeover tryout, Mikale took matters into her hands and called her husband. Bowman Sr. was finishing his final NFL season in 2017, his lone year with the Oakland Raiders, capping an eight-year career that saw him earn four first-team All-Pro honors.

Soon to return to the family’s Maryland offseason home, Bowman Sr. received an edict regarding his son’s athletic trajectory.

“If you don’t coach him, he’s not playing,” Mikale told her husband.

Team Takeover fielded two teams heading into that spring and summer. They included some of the best youth basketball players in the D.C. area — a Red squad and a Black one.

Bowman Sr. volunteered to coach a developmental squad called the Gray team. It was for kids — like his son — who weren’t polished. At the end of that summer, after the Red and Black teams were eliminated from the AAU national championships, the Gray team continued to advance, and it eventually placed ninth in the country.

“NaVorro Bowman Sr. is a patient, excellent coach and teacher who instilled confidence in all of those kids,” Mikale said. “Each week, you could see them improving.”

Bowman Jr.’s rapid development didn’t go unnoticed. 

“He had some athleticism, played extremely hard and challenged himself to stop his man from scoring,” Bowman Sr., 37, said. “His best trait was that he was a competitor.”

Heading into nationals that year, the much-improved Bowman Jr. was asked to join the Black squad. 

“It felt great to grow with the kids who supposedly weren’t good enough to play on the so-called best travel teams,” Bowman Jr. said. “So when they asked me to jump over to the Black team, I was like, ‘Nah, y’all cut me. I’m good.’ ”

To accelerate his son’s basketball education, Bowman Sr. reached out to a couple of old friends. One was Patrick Robinson, the ball-handling wizard and D.C. playground legend more popularly known as Pat Da Roc. The other was Keith Williams, a renowned trainer who has tutored the likes of NBA players Kevin Durant, DeMarcus Cousins and Markelle Fultz, among others.

“Players from the DMV [District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia] are gritty, they go hard. So I had to learn how to play physical and get tougher mentally” said Bowman Jr. “Training with Pat got my handles tight. It was a masterclass in the use of hesitation dribbles. With Keith, it was about fundamentals, repetition and mastering pull-up jumpers off the dribble. The better I got, the better I wanted to get.”

Williams knew Bowman Sr. when he was an adolescent competing against some of the area’s top high school and college basketball players at the 24-hour Run-N-Shoot facility in District Heights.

“Most people don’t realize how good he was at basketball,” said Williams. “NaVorro was an incredible defender with quick feet. He had natural instincts and anticipation. During his NFL offseasons, he’d be in the gym with us holding his own against NBA guys.”

Williams had to temper Bowman Sr.’s timeline and expectations, though, urging patience as it related to his son’s development.

“I got Little NaVorro when he was 9 years old, and he was such a nice kid,” said Williams. “I told his dad, ‘Here’s the problem: There’s no way he’s going to be as hungry as you were at that age. You came up rough, in a one-story house with two rooms and seven people. You can’t duplicate that. He ain’t hungry right now. But he’ll get there.’ ”

Bowman Sr.’s hunger was born from necessity. He grew up along two older brothers in tough Suitland, near D.C. His father worked at the electric company and moonlighted as the neighborhood mechanic. His mother managed a nearby Wendy’s.

“I absorbed their work ethic while also being aware of what was going on around me,” Bowman Sr. said “There was a lot of violence, a lot of drugs. My parents didn’t have all the resources, but they were hard-working. They stressed school and being respectful. It sounds cliche, but most of the guys I came up with are now dead, in jail, or doing really bad.”

He honed his toughness playing tackle football in the streets with bigger, older kids. But basketball was his first love. The Run-N-Shoot facility was an oasis that kept him away from the temptations that his peers fell victim to.

One middle school teammate was a neighbor, a quiet kid with long arms and legs, and a sweet shooting stroke for whom basketball was also a security blanket. His name was Kevin Durant.

“I was more outspoken at that age than Kevin,” Bowman Sr. said. “He was quiet and would defer to others. But he was so skilled, so long, and could score all day long. I’d be telling him to shoot every time he touched the ball. Even at that young age he was something special.”

Bowman Sr. played for the nation’s most revered AAU team at the time — DC Assault — with other future NBA players, such as Nolan Smith and Michael Beasley.

As a junior at Suitland High School, he was among the nation’s top football recruits after compiling 165 tackles, nine sacks and three fumble recoveries on defense. On offense, he rushed for 1,200 yards and scored 22 touchdowns. After his junior season, he was named Washington Post first-team All Met, first-team all-state, and Maryland Defensive Player of the Year.

He also received basketball overtures from Clemson, Wake Forest, N.C. State and others before focusing solely on football. “I wasn’t getting any taller,” said Bowman Sr., who is 6-foot. “But hoops was always my first love.”

Home on summer break after his freshman year at Penn State, Bowman was stuck in a traffic jam on a balmy Friday night on Okie Street in northeast D.C. Mikale was a few cars down, dressed up, out with friends, and sitting in the same congested stretch en route to Dream, a popular nightclub.

When Bowman Sr. walked over to say hello amid the spontaneous block party atmosphere that was fueled by the stalled cars’ blaring music, Mikale was taken aback by the commotion surrounding her.

“That’s NaVorro! That’s NaVorro!,” her friends yelled.

Mikale was a track athlete at Largo High School, Suitland’s rival. She was a 100-, 200- and 4×100-meter sprinter.

“I’d heard his name before and my girlfriends knew him from Suitland,” said Mikale. “I ran track but didn’t really follow sports, so I didn’t see what the big deal was. But when he came over to the car, I noticed how handsome he was, with this big, beautiful smile.”

Their first phone call was more serious than Mikale expected. The young man was vulnerable, talking about how deeply hurt and affected he’d been by the recent death of his father. That initial conversation lasted hours.

“I felt his pain on a very personal level because my father was murdered when I was 14,” said Mikale. “We’ve been stuck together like glue ever since.”  

On Fridays, when Bowman was at Penn State, she’d leave work, either from the Universal Hair Salon in Fort Washington or her gig as an assistant at a Bethesda realtor’s office, and drive four hours to spend her weekends in State College, Pennsylvania.

Some of those autumn Saturday afternoons were spent among the other 106,000 spectators in Beaver Stadium as she watched her boyfriend become one of the nation’s most dominant college football players.

Two years after their first conversation, she was still taking those long weekend drives, but now with infant NaVorro Jr. strapped in his rear car seat. By then, Bowman Sr. was wrapping up a decorated college career as an All-American and two-time first-team All-Big Ten linebacker before forgoing his final year of eligibility to enter the 2010 NFL draft.

By the time Bowman Jr. enrolled in middle school, he was a blur from sideline to sideline, baseline to baseline on the basketball court. His jump shot was dependable, and his handles crisp.

“He had a unique flair with the way he moved and handled the ball,” said Mikale. “He wasn’t just good, he was entertaining. And he wasn’t chasing points or hunting shots. He let the game come to him.”

Mikale had seen the brutal toll that football exacted on her husband and his peers. She was grateful that he walked away physically and mentally intact, and for the upward mobility it provided their family. But she had long told her son — in no uncertain terms — that he’d never be allowed to play the game that made his father famous.

So imagine her surprise, when picking him up from The Bullis School one early fall afternoon, to see her eighth-grade son clad in shoulder pads and gripping the face mask of a helmet that dangled by his side.

“I’d been hinting for a while about wanting to play, but she either didn’t catch on or was just ignoring me,” said Bowman Jr. “I was going to all the early training sessions and practices, telling her that I was staying late at school to study. She just stared at me with this cold look.

“My dad must have smoothed things over because I was allowed to play. And I absolutely loved it. I played running back, receiver, corner[back] and defensive end. It was the most fun I ever had. I had to get it out of my system because I knew that in high school I wanted to give everything I had to basketball.”

As a freshman at St. Paul VI in northern Virginia, Bowman expected to be a varsity contributor on a D.C. area powerhouse that is perennially ranked among the nation’s top high school basketball teams. But he’d have to wait his turn.

That 2023-24 St. Paul VI team finished as runner-up in the Chipotle Nationals, losing to future No.1 NBA draft pick Cooper Flagg’s undefeated Montverde Academy (Fla.) squad in the championship game. St. Paul VI featured five starters who earned major NCAA Division I scholarships: Ben Hammond (Virginia Tech), Garrett Sundra (Notre Dame), Isaiah Abraham (Connecticut), and Darren Harris and Patrick Ngongba (Duke).

After fall workouts and practices before the start of that season, Bowman Jr. was sent down to junior varsity.

“He didn’t like that one bit,” Mikale said. “He was upset and sulking around. I finally had to tell him, ‘Your path is your path. Stop worrying about what other people are going to say and think. Even Michael Jordan and Chris Paul played on their high school JV teams. A few years from now, nobody is going to care what you did as a freshman.’ ”

After a few weeks, Mikale noticed a shift in her son’s demeanor. He hopped in the car one afternoon after practice, smiling, and volunteered without provocation: “I actually like this now. I’m having fun.”

“Not making the varsity at Paul VI messed with me a little bit,” said Bowman Jr. “It was humbling. I was practicing against two of the best senior guards in the country every day in Ben Hammond and Darren Harris. It was a reminder that I had a lot more work to do.”

In early February 2024 during his son’s freshman year, Bowman Sr., then a defensive analyst at the University of Maryland, received a call from his former San Francisco 49ers coach, Jim Harbaugh. He asked Bowman Sr. to join him and the Los Angeles Chargers as their linebackers coach.

While Mikale was having lunch at a restaurant shortly after Bowman Sr., was hired by the Chargers, an acquaintance asked her about the Los Angeles-area schools they were thinking about enrolling their son upon their return to the West Coast.

“You should really look at Notre Dame,” the man advised. “I’m close with [rapper] Master P. That’s where his son went.”

Mercy Miller, the son of the rap icon and founder of the legendary hip-hop label No Limit Records, was a star basketball player at Notre Dame. In December 2023, Miller set the school’s single-game scoring record with 68 points before accepting a scholarship to the University of Houston.

“We were looking at Harvard-Westlake, Sierra Canyon and some others at that point, and the guy calls Master P and hands me his cell phone,” Mikale said. “And P was like, ‘I heard your son’s good. Y’all should go to Notre Dame.’ ”

After a number of visits, most of the coaching staffs were lukewarm at the prospect of Bowman Jr. — who’d only played junior varsity ball — joining their teams. But the Notre Dame visit was different.

“The energy from that visit felt like home,” said Bowman Jr. “The admissions director took us around, and the coaches seemed genuinely excited about having me there.”

If there were any doubts about the new sophomore from D.C., they were quickly assuaged during fall practices. Bowman turned more than a few heads with his poise, body control, playmaking, long-range shooting, and his ability to attack the rim and create his shot off the dribble.

“Right before Little NaVorro left to go to California, he’d turned the corner,” said Williams. “He grew, got better, and blew up during his sophomore year out there.”

When one of Notre Dame’s projected starters was injured during a fall league game against Redondo Beach, Bowman Jr. came off the bench and scored 21 points without missing a shot. He has started every game since.

“As soon as he got here, it was undeniable how good he was going to be offensively,” coach Sergeant said. “The initial questions we had were from a defensive and rebounding standpoint. But by late October, early November, we saw a kid with the whole package. It was obvious then that NaVorro was going to be a special player for us.”

Playing alongside Tyran Stokes, a gifted 6-7 wing and the consensus No. 1 player in the Class of 2026, Bowman Jr. was a nationwide revelation once this season tipped off.

He averaged 16.4 points over his first nine games, including a 26-point, five-rebound, six-assist gem against Mater Dei, as Notre Dame raced to a 9-0 start to the season. During the team’s run to the state semifinals, he averaged 23 points per game.

“As soon as he started having success, those schools that weren’t really feeling him started calling,” said Mikale. “But I made it clear that we weren’t interested in hopping around. We liked where he was, and he was going to stay there.”

The momentum continued snowballing on the Nike EYBL (Elite Youth Basketball League) circuit last summer. Playing on NBA star Russell Westbrook’s Team Why Not squad, Bowman Jr. established himself as one of the nation’s most electrifying backcourt talents and California’s top-ranked point guard in the Class of 2027.

And with Stokes suddenly withdrawing from Notre Dame on Nov. 5, Bowman Jr. will be playing under a more intense spotlight this season.

“Ever since he got cut from his first AAU team, it’s been a process,” Bowman Sr. said of his son. “He didn’t like that feeling. When he started to experience success against the top guys, he never got complacent and always answered the bell.”

Bowman Jr.’s hunger hasn’t waned. Judging from chatter on the grapevine as his junior season is underway, it’s only become more ravenous.

“I follow my dad’s example and listen to everything he says, like starting my workday at 5:30 a.m. while my competition’s sleeping,” Bowman Jr. said. “He’s excelled at the highest level of sports, and he’s a coach. And he also helps me from a mental standpoint, with simple stuff like making my bed every morning to start the day off by accomplishing something.”

As the scholarship offers grow, so is that hunger that was predicted when he was 9.

“Offers don’t mean anything,” said Bowman Jr. “If anything, it’s made me want to work harder to get more. The only goal in front of me right now is for us to win a state championship. The chip on my shoulder is getting bigger, just like that first time I got cut.”

Michael “Mike” Joseph Smith (68) of Great Falls, Montana, died in a tragic car accident on January 4, 2026. A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, January 9, 2026, at 3 p.m. at Croxford Funeral Home in Great Falls, Montana.

Mike was born July 28, 1957, in Billings, MT, to Warren and Jane Schlachter Smith. He grew up in Joliet, MT, until 1968 when the family moved to Plains, MT. Mike graduated from Plains High School in 1975 and MT Tech in Butte, MT, in 1979 with a degree in Environmental Engineering.

Since there was a scarcity of environmental engineering jobs available, he worked in the oil fields of Eastern Montana and North Dakota for several years. In 1982 Mike started his professional career with GE in Billings, MT, and later moved to Seattle, WA, Honolulu, HI, and Columbus, Ohio. In 1995 he joined Nationwide Financial in the office of compliance. He retired from Nationwide in 2020 and moved back to his beloved Montana in 2022.

Mike met the love of his life, Suzanne “Suzy” Percival Smith, while playing walleyball at the apartment complex where they both lived in Seattle. They married on October 1, 1988, in Red Lodge, MT. They have two children: a son, Jordan Michael (1993), and a daughter, Hannah Jane (1995). Mike was a wonderful husband and father and friend to all he met.   

Mike enjoyed hiking, snow shoeing, pickleball, gardening, traveling, spending time in the great outdoors especially sleeping unencumbered on a cot beneath the night sky and taking care of his cats. Mike was Eli’s, Hannah’s dog, favorite person and their bond was extraordinary. He was a well-loved and exceptional youth sports coach for football, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, and volleyball. His way with children was admired by many and will be sorely missed. A lifelong volunteer, Mike was involved in community gardens, youth mission trips, and picking up after litter bugs. Since moving to Great Falls, he immersed himself in Wild Montana. Above all Mike treasured time with family and friends and being a devoted husband and father.

Mike is survived by his wife, Suzy; son, Jordan Michael (Terra) Smith; daughter, Hannah Jane Smith (Cody Allison); sisters Margaret (Dave Swan) Halko, Janice (Roger) Hassenpflug, Patricia (John) Buck, Mary (Steve) Supola, Jean (Casey) Clinch, Laura King, Catherine (Jonathan) Roen, and Rebecca (Jeff) Crider; brothers Robert (Pam) Smith, Mark (Penny) Smith, and Paul Smith; sisters-in-law Louise Evered and Laura Percival; brother-in-law Dan Percival; as well as many, many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Mike is also survived by cherished friends, including the classmates he reconnected with during his 50th high school reunion last summer, his pickleball friends, everyone involved with Wild Montana, and his lifelong hiking and basketball groups in Columbus, OH.  

Mike was preceded in death by his parents, mother- and father-in-law, Betty and Bob Percival, brothers-in-law Joe Halko and Robert Percival, and sister-in-law Cindy Smith.

Memorial donations may be sent to Wild Montana or a charity of your choice.

To send flowers
to the family, please visit our floral store.

BECKMAN 66, TRABUCO HILLS 53: Beckman was led by Josh Charette, who scored 16 points and had four assists and Qusai Azem, who scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the Sea View League road game Wednesday. The Patriots play at Aliso Niguel Friday night.

ALISO NIGUEL 65, MISSION VIEJO 56: The Wolverines (12-8, 1-0 were led by Wyatt Richmond with 19 points, Jayden Mysin with 18 points and Jay Keys with 14 points in the Sea View League game.

TESORO 78, CAPO VALLEY 39: Coach Steve Garrett’s Titans captured a South Coast League victory Wednesday night. Tesoro (18-3) was led by Dean Mika who had 23 points, four rebounds and four assists. Carson Hatch had 17 points, four rebounds and four assists and Owen Hatch 12 points, four rebounds and two assists.

TARBUT V’ TORAH 51, VALLEY CHRISTIAN 47: TVT pulled off an upset in a non-league game Wednesday. Ori Maya led the way for the Lions with 15 points and 10 rebounds while Ari Varon scored 14 points, none more important than a deep 3-pointer with 12.5 seconds on the game clock and time running out on the shot clock. Varon added eight rebounds.

TVT is 6-6 entering league play next week vs. Newport Christian.

PACIFICA CHRISTIAN 71, PACIFICA CHRISTIAN SANTA MONICA 41: Michael Noel led the OC Pacifica Christian team (14-4) to the non-league win Wednesday, scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Joaquin Rigdon added 14 points and four rebounds, Donavan Hogan had 11 points and seven rebounds, Ian Escobar had nine poiunts and Solomoan Huang eight points and five assists.

Final scores:

California 105, Saddleback 77

Segerstrom 43, Orange 21

Los Alamitos 57, Huntington Beach 47

Send basketball scores to timburt@ocsportszone.com

AIKEN, S.C. – USCA is one of 26 schools and one conference announced as a finalist for the 2026 Award of Excellence. This award highlights initiatives that exemplify the Division II philosophy of community engagement and student-athlete leadership.

The overall finalists were chosen by a committee of athletics administrators and the Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, with the SAAC members ultimately selecting the top three finalists. Those honorees, including the winner, will be announced at the Division II business session this month at the 2026 NCAA Convention in the Washington, D.C., area.

Each finalist will receive $750. The winner will receive $3,000, with the second-place finisher getting $1,750 and the third-place finisher awarded $1,500. All prize money is intended to be used for future SAAC programming or community engagement events.

Learn more about the 2026 finalists and their initiatives:

University of South Carolina Aiken, Peach Belt Conference

A Night in Wonderland: USC Aiken SAAC celebrated students with intellectual disabilities from the USCA LIFE program and the local community with a semi-formal prom night. Around 130 student-athletes and community volunteers transformed the campus gym into a ballroom, pairing each guest with a student-athlete buddy for an evening of dancing, games and inclusion.

A NIGHT IN WONDERLAND PHOTO GALLERY

Auburn Montgomery, Gulf South Conference

TOPSoccer and Dream Court: Auburn Montgomery partnered with YMCA TOPSoccer and Dream Court to support adaptive sports programs for youths with physical and intellectual disabilities. Over 45 student-athletes volunteered more than 500 hours, assisting with soccer and tennis activities that promoted inclusion and confidence. The collaboration included seasonal events and ongoing engagement with families in Montgomery.

Augustana (South Dakota) and Minnesota State Mankato, Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference

Wish Family Fun Day, Make-A-Wish: Augustana and Minnesota State Mankato partnered to support Make-A-Wish. The programming featured a Week of Wishes with campus events, donation drives and a joint social media campaign. Sodexo donated food for the pregame tailgate and Make-A-Wish staff helped coordinate family participation. Activities included games, face painting and a football game experience for Wish kids, with over 60 families.

Bentley, Northeast 10 Conference

 

Flight Plan: Bentley launched a four-year leadership and development program for student-athletes built around five pillars: leadership, wellness, career readiness, community engagement and financial literacy. The program includes annual phases — Ignite, Ascend, Cultivate and Soar — with workshops, service projects and mentorship opportunities. Campus partners support this initiative through wellness training, career development and financial education to prepare athletes for life beyond college.

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (at large)

Painting HER Story: The CIAA’s 50th Anniversary Women’s Basketball Tournament in Baltimore combined athletic excellence with community engagement. Programming featured youth basketball and cheer clinics for more than 200 students with support from Under Armour, outreach through the Mental Health Forum, Money Moves Financial Summit, Tech Summit House and the Shoes of Hope initiative with Samaritan’s Feet, providing new shoes to 500 children. Education and career access were prioritized through High School Education Day, which welcomed 3,000 students for on-the-spot college acceptances and scholarships, and a Career Expo connecting families to employment opportunities. Free Fan Fest and Super Saturday removed economic barriers, while partners like Visit Baltimore, Nationwide and Food Lion amplified the event’s impact. Intergenerational programs such as the EmpowerHER Town Hall and the Hall of Fame Breakfast featured icons like Sheryl Swoopes.

Central Washington, Great Northwest Athletic Conference

Retirement Homes Reverse Trick or Treat: Central Washington’s SAAC led a “reverse trick or treat” at two senior living homes in Ellensburg, visiting 160 residents. Student-athletes delivered handwritten cards, candy and flowers while engaging in meaningful conversations, lifting spirits and building lasting relationships.

Coker, South Atlantic Conference

Halloween in Hartsville: Coker hosted Hartsville’s annual Treats on the Street celebration and its own campus trick-or-treat event, welcoming thousands of families, with over 468 student-athletes participating. Activities included soccer goal challenges, lacrosse shots and track sprints, creating interactive experiences for children. The second event welcomed over 200 families to the DeLoach Center for candy, costumes and a volleyball match.

Colorado Mesa, Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference

Where We Become Mavericks: Colorado Mesa connected student-athletes with Mesa County elementary schools to promote values and college readiness. Over 100 student-athletes from nine teams visited schools for assemblies and interactive lessons, including a Resiliency Pledge at Clifton Elementary. Colorado Mesa’s SAAC also launched a Reading and Recess Buddies program, reinforcing mentorship and engagement throughout the school year.

Concordia University Irvine, Pacific West Conference

Concordia Cares, L.A. Fire Relief: Concordia’s SAAC and women’s water polo student-athletes launched Concordia Cares in response to the January Los Angeles wildfires. Over six days, the campus collected hundreds of boxes of essentials and assembled over 200 care packages, raising additional funds for recovery efforts. Donations were delivered to pop-up sites, including Livingway Community Church and the Red Cross, with support from partners like U-Haul for storage.

D’Youville (at large)

Saints in Service Building Community Through Action: D’Youville student-athletes contributed over 250 hours to build a playground on Buffalo’s west side in partnership with the Ralph Wilson Park Conservancy. Their efforts addressed critical needs in an underserved neighborhood, creating a safe, inclusive space for families and children. 

Embry-Riddle (Florida), Sunshine State Conference

Food Brings Hope: Embry-Riddle partnered with Food Brings Hope and the NASCAR Foundation to support children from Volusia County. Student-athletes hosted kids at a men’s basketball game with meals, mascot photos and on-court activities, and later volunteered at the Daytona International Speedway to distribute more than 100 bikes and helmets.

Fairmont State, Mountain East Conference

Making a Wish Come True, Make-A-Wish: The SAAC at Fairmont State set a goal to raise $10,000 for Make-A-Wish and exceeded it by raising over $20,000, granting two wishes. The student-athletes put on fundraising events that included a Swim-A-Thon, a free youth softball camp and a community volleyball tournament, supported by campus dining partner Elior.

Ferris State, Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Golden Girls: The Ferris State stunt program organized monthly “Pamper Days” at The Brook of Big Rapids assisted living facility, creating joyful experiences for the residents. The student-athletes partnered with the “Golden Girls” group for a halftime performance at a football game, strengthening intergenerational connections. In their inaugural season, the 39-member team completed over 765 community engagement hours.

Gannon, Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference

Make-A-Wish Initiative: Gannon raised $14,339 for Make-A-Wish during the 2024–25 academic year, ranking second nationally and contributing to the conference’s fundraising total. Student-athlete fundraising efforts included themed games, raffles, bake sales and events like the women’s lacrosse Wish Stars Campaign and acrobatics and tumbling’s Make-A-Wish meet. The year culminated in a wish reveal granting a child’s trip to LEGOLAND.

Georgian Court, Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference

The Lakewood United Initiative: Georgian Court launched a departmentwide effort to mentor youth in Lakewood through academic, athletic and life-skills programming. Student-athletes led school visits, reading sessions, sport clinics and community events like Trunk or Treat and a Color Run, impacting hundreds of students in a district where fewer than 42% pursue college.

Johnson C. Smith, Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association

The Smitty Project — Literacy as a Bridge to Opportunity: Johnson C. Smith engaged K-8 students through campus-based programs like AVID Day, Literacy Boot Camp and a Scholastic Book Fair. Student-athletes contributed over 2,000 community engagement hours with initiatives combining reading, mentorship and college exposure. This programming served hundreds of students in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area through tutoring, story sessions, technology workshops and raising thousands for book access.

University of Mary (at large)

Day of Service: Mary united nearly 500 student-athletes and over 1,500 volunteers for a record-breaking day of community engagement across 76 sites. Teams landscaped parks, restored historic sites, assisted nonprofits and supported vulnerable populations, contributing more than 6,000 engagement hours. Rooted in the school’s Benedictine tradition and “Greatness through Virtue” philosophy, the day showcased character, leadership and hope.

Missouri S&T, Great Lakes Valley Conference

Tornado Cleanup: After an EF-2 tornado struck Rolla, Missouri, S&T student-athletes and staff mobilized for cleanup efforts, volunteering alongside FEMA and the Red Cross. Football and soccer student-athletes cleared debris, removed fallen trees and assisted affected families, contributing significant labor to restore the community. The soccer teams also hosted a free clinic for children impacted by the disaster.

Missouri Western, Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association

Griffs Giving Gifts: Missouri Western adopted 11 families through a partnership with the St. Joseph AFL-CIO Community Services Department. Student-athletes raised over $7,000, provided gifts, nonperishable food and household essentials, and delivered items personally — complete with a student-athlete dressed as Santa. The initiative also included Thanksgiving meals for four families, touching 36 children and 16 adults.

Roberts Wesleyan, East Coast Conference

Redhawks Reachout, Mental Health: Roberts Wesleyan prioritized mental health through partnerships with Morgan’s Message, The Hidden Opponent and the University Wellness Center. Programs included mental health screenings, goat yoga and advocacy campaigns like Smash the Stigma, alongside awareness games hosted by the volleyball and field hockey teams. Over 300 engagement hours from student-athletes supported these efforts, complemented by fundraising and volunteer work for the Pirate Toy Fund, saving over $10,000 in labor costs and collecting thousands of toys for local children.

San Francisco State, California Collegiate Athletic Association

Act of Love: San Francisco State launched a campuswide effort to save its programs after facing a system budget crisis and the potential elimination of athletics. Student-athletes, SAAC leaders, administrators and the Associated Students organization collaborated to advocate for a student fee increase, leveraging social media campaigns, meetings and campus engagement. Increased game attendance and a formal statement of support from Associated Students helped secure funding and preserve athletics at the school.

Southern Arkansas, Great American Conference

Rachael’s Wish, Make-A-Wish: Southern Arkansas student-athletes partnered with Make-

A-Wish to grant “Rachael’s Wish,” raising over $10,000 through initiatives like Restaurant Week, a football game fundraiser and private donations. SAAC members dedicated 174 volunteer hours to help fulfill Rachael’s wish to visit Disney World through a personalized reveal event, including a campus tour, art department visit and volleyball-themed celebration.

Tuskegee, Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Macon County Helping Hands Food Drive: Tuskegee athletics partnered with the Macon County Helping Hands Food Ministry to organize one of the largest food distributions in Tuskegee. Student-athletes collected, organized and distributed meals and grocery items to hundreds of families, promoting leadership and service learning. The initiative reinforced campus-community relationships and provided essential resources to local residents.

UNC Pembroke, Conference Carolinas

Education Appreciation Day: UNC Pembroke hosted an Education Appreciation Day during a men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader to honor faculty, staff and local educators. The event featured free admission, giveaways, halftime games and T-shirt tosses, while local elementary school students were invited to connect with student-athletes through the Braves Buddies program. Over 1,800 attendees enjoyed a festive atmosphere celebrating education as a pathway for youth.

The University of Texas at Tyler, Lone Star Conference

Sports Camp Supporting Kerr County Flood Relief: UT Tyler hosted Patriots for a Cause, a two-day sports camp benefiting the Kerr County flood relief fund. In partnership with UT Health East Texas, coaches and student-athletes provided multisport instruction for 136 campers, while local businesses like Hawaiian Bros and Raising Cane’s donated meals. The event raised $8,385.50 for the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country’s relief fund.

Walsh, Great Midwest Athletic Conference

Cav Salute: Walsh honored veterans, active duty service members and local first responders in celebration of America’s 250th birthday. The initiative included patches on student-athlete uniforms, a Veterans Day celebration and a Salute to Service football game. Over 750 student-athletes engaged in community engagement projects like a Home Run Derby fundraiser, a Veteran Suicide Awareness Push-Up Challenge and volunteering at the Serving Area Military Center. The initiative raised $1,619 for local veteran organizations, along with donated goods.