BOSTON – Senior Hailey Atwood of the UTSA women's basketball team was named Teammate of the Year by Team IMPACT, earning the award for her remarkable involvement with the program's Team IMPACT teammate Mia.
"This award is not just for me, but for Mia and her two-and-a-half-year long battle with Leukemia," said Atwood. "For me, I feel like I did everything I was supposed to do to be a good role model for her. Spending time with her, helping her with her homework, and making her feel like a normal child. Winning this award was an amazing feeling, but I also feel like it has a deeper meaning which is bringing awareness to childhood cancer."
Founded in 2011, Team IMPACT is a unique multiyear program that matches children facing serious illness and disability with college athletic teams across the country with the mission mission of guiding children and teams alike in a mutually beneficial relationship of belonging, empowerment, and resilience.
Two teams at UTSA have welcomed Team IMPACT teammates in the past year, including the baseball and women's basketball teams. The women's basketball program welcomed Mia as their teammate last fall and she has been involved with the team since then.
Atwood was nominated by the women's basketball program's teammate Mia and was announced as one of five finalists for the 2023 Teammate of the Year Award. Thursday evening, Atwood and Mia went to the Game Day Gala in Boston, where they were presented their award.
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