U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Unveils Recipients of Inaugural Team USA Collegiate Impact Awards
by USOPC
“The collegiate athletics system is essential to growing and keeping sport strong in our country,” said USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland. “Athletes who competed collegiately were the foundation of Team USA’s success in Tokyo and Beijing. We’re excited to honor the leaders who foster these sport opportunities and support student-athletes on campus.”
Team USA Collegiate Impact Award Class of 2020
In Tokyo, 475 U.S. Olympians and 122 U.S. Paralympians competed collegiately during their journey to Team USA. Together they hailed from 223 schools across the country. The inductees into the Team USA Collegiate Impact Award Class of 2020 together helped lead to the success of 70 U.S. athletes at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and 20 U.S. athletes at the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. These four schools had 52 athletes bring home medals for their school communities and country. The Class of 2020 is comprised of:
Olympic Gold Award: Stanford University; 35 U.S. Olympians and 19 U.S. medalists
Olympic Silver Award:University of California, Los Angeles; 21 U.S. Olympians and 14 U.S. medalists
Olympic Bronze Award:University of Florida; 14 U.S. Olympians and 10 U.S. medalists
Paralympic Gold Award: University of Illinois; 20 U.S. Paralympians and nine U.S. medalists
Team USA Collegiate Impact Award Class of 2022
Last winter in Beijing, Team USA was comprised of 85 Olympians and 17 Paralympians who had honed their skills through college athletics; together they represented 54 schools. The four Team USA Collegiate Impact Award Class of 2022 honorees helped foster the success of 22 U.S. athletes at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 and four U.S. athletes at the Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. Together, these schools were represented well by 20 U.S. athletes who brought home medals for their schools and country. The Class of 2022 is comprised of:
Olympic Gold Award: University of Minnesota; 12 U.S. Olympians and eight U.S. medalists
Olympic Silver Award:University of Wisconsin; five U.S. Olympians and five U.S. medalists
Olympic Bronze Award:Boston College; five U.S. Olympians and three U.S. medalists
Paralympic Gold Award: University of New Hampshire; four U.S. Paralympians and four U.S. medalists
NGB Collegiate Impact Award
In addition to the Team USA Collegiate Impact Awards, as part of the celebration, eight National Governing Body leaders will recognize and honor the top-contributing school to their Olympic teams at Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 with an NGB Sport Impact Award.
“The NCAA collegiate sports system has long provided our nation’s best and brightest with incredible opportunities to showcase their gifts not only on the field of play, but also in the classroom,” said Rich Bender, USA Wrestling executive director and USOPC board member. "This system is the backbone for competitive success for Team USA, a system that truly does provide athletes with the opportunity to reach their full athletic and human potential.”
The eight NGB Collegiate Impact Award winners that will be honored for their sport-specific contributions at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 are:
2020 USA Diving Collegiate Impact Award: University of Texas
2020 USA Fencing Collegiate Impact Award: University of Notre Dame
2022 U.S. Ski & Snowboard Collegiate Impact Award: University of Utah
2020 USA Softball Collegiate Impact Award: University of California, Los Angeles
2020 USA Swimming Collegiate Impact Award: University of Georgia
2020 USA Track & Field Collegiate Impact Award: University of Oregon
2020 USA Water Polo Collegiate Impact Award: Stanford University
2020 USA Wrestling Collegiate Impact Award: Pennsylvania State University
Earlier this month, the USOPC and NFF announced their
first-of-its-kind collaboration
to celebrate the role football plays in supporting varsity Olympic and Paralympic sport opportunities on campus. More information about the Team USA Collegiate Recognition Awards – and about Team USA’s collegiate footprint in Tokyo and Beijing – can be found online at
TeamUSA.org/CollegiateImpact.
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NOTE: Student-athlete is defined as any individual who is/was a member of a collegiate roster (varsity/club/other) and/or competed in outside competition for a university or college.
Student-athletes impacted by transfer circumstances are included in the totals for each institution attended.
The USOPC collegiate partnerships department launched in 2016 to help bridge the important connection between the collegiate and Olympic/Paralympic landscapes. With the majority of Team USA athletes competing collegiately during their athletics journeys, the department focuses on three primary areas: aligning leaders to advance athletic programming on campus, removing impediments faced by college athletes competing both intercollegiately and in the Team USA system, and messaging the value of Olympic/Paralympic sport opportunities on campus. More information can be found at TeamUSA.org/studentathlete.