MARION, Ind. – Sitting just one week out from the start of the 2025 Outdoor NAIA Track & Field Championships, Indiana Wesleyan Athletics is excited to announce, once again in collaboration with Special Olympics Indiana and the Grant County Special Education Co-op, the 2025 Unified Track & Field NAIA Teaming Up for Character™ event. NAIA Athletes from around the country will serve for the third-straight year as volunteers for the event, serving in various roles, including starting line stagers, fan blocks, finish line hype groups, and much more.
"This is an outstanding way for the NAIA and student-athletes from nationwide schools to give back to the community who looks up to them," said Dr. Jeffrey Reyes, Associate Athletic Director. "Providing a beacon for these young athletes to look for and up to is exactly what we stand for and are proud to represent. This is a great way to kick off the 2025 NAIA Outdoor National Track and Field Championships!"
This year's event will feature five schools from Grant County as they compete in the 25m hurdles, 50m, 100m relay, wheelchair races, long jump, and tennis/softball toss. Additionally, over 300 preschool students from across Grant County Public Schools will participate in the Little Feet Meet.
Lisa Graham, from Making an Impact, commented, "We are thrilled to one again partner with IWU and the NAIA to offer this Unified Champion Athletic event for our student athletes. In addition to our athletes performing, we will also have our student run food truck "Making An IMPACT" serving our athletes, volunteers, and guests. This truck serves as an opportunity to teach students with intellectual disabilities valuable employability skills. Stop by and say hello and give them a chance to serve you. All proceeds go back into the program to educate students and help them become as independent as possible."
Coaches, Athletes, and Administrators from around the United States will dawn the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University starting on Sunday, May 18, 2025, with the NAIA Teaming Up for Character™ event taking place on Monday, May 21, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at the Indiana Wesleyan Track & Field complex. The local community is invited to participate beforehand or during the event.
Those interested in contributing to this impactful event may contact Jeff Reyes at jeff.reyes@indwes.edu.
ABOUT SPECIAL OLYMPICS INDIANA
The mission of Special Olympics Indiana is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, offering them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. For more information about Special Olympics Indiana, call (317) 328-2000 or visit www.soindiana.org.
ABOUT UNIFIED CHAMPION SCHOOLS
Special Olympics' Unified Champion Schools program is defined as a pre-school, primary school, secondary school, college, or university offering Unified Sports® opportunities to its students across the world. Unified Champion Schools programming is designed to facilitate Special Olympics Unified Sports®, provide classroom and community experiences that reduce bullying and exclusion, promote healthy activities, combat stereotypes and negative attitudes, eliminate hurtful language in schools, and engage young people in activities that lead to improved behavior and school climate.
