The University of Akron Athletics

Zips Women's Basketball Joins TeamImpact And Adds Brayden McDonald To The 2017-18 Roster
November 21 | Women's Basketball
PHOTO GALLERYÂ |Â PRESS CONFERENCE VIDEO
AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron women's basketball team and head coach Jodi Kest announced the signing of Brayden McDonald on Tuesday. The 8-year-old Akron native signed her national letter of intent to join the Zips' women's basketball squad this season.
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"Brayden has unbelievable hand-eye coordination and she is so competitive. When I saw those two things, I knew she was a winner," said Kest. "Brayden has been through so much in her life and is so strong that we want someone like her to be a big part of our program. We are going to get so much out of having her on our team and we are very happy to have her be a part of our family."
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Team IMPACT, an organization that connects children facing chronic or life-threatening illnesses to college athletic teams in an effort to improve their quality of life, orchestrated Brayden's recruitment with the Akron women's basketball program. Brayden's determination to persevere through adversity has already made her an inspiration to her Zips teammates.
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Brayden deals with Cystic Fibrosis, which makes him highly susceptible to lung infections and limits the ability to breathe.
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ABOUT TEAM IMPACT:
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Since 2011, Team IMPACT has matched more than 1,300 children with more than 500 colleges and universities in 47 states, reaching over 35,000 participating student-athletes. The child joins the athletic team and the student-athletes join the child's support team – from Draft Day to Graduation. During the journey, the child gains strength, camaraderie, and support while the student-athletes experience lessons of courage, resiliency and perspective they can't learn in a classroom. Team IMPACT is a national nonprofit headquartered in Boston that connects children facing serious or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming life-long bonds and life-changing outcomes. Team IMPACT has more than 1,000 teams across the country waiting to be matched with children, ages 5-16, who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening or chronic illness and who could benefit from becoming a member of the team. If you know a child who may be interested, visit www.goteamimpact.org for more information.
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AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron women's basketball team and head coach Jodi Kest announced the signing of Brayden McDonald on Tuesday. The 8-year-old Akron native signed her national letter of intent to join the Zips' women's basketball squad this season.
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"Brayden has unbelievable hand-eye coordination and she is so competitive. When I saw those two things, I knew she was a winner," said Kest. "Brayden has been through so much in her life and is so strong that we want someone like her to be a big part of our program. We are going to get so much out of having her on our team and we are very happy to have her be a part of our family."
Â
Team IMPACT, an organization that connects children facing chronic or life-threatening illnesses to college athletic teams in an effort to improve their quality of life, orchestrated Brayden's recruitment with the Akron women's basketball program. Brayden's determination to persevere through adversity has already made her an inspiration to her Zips teammates.
Â
Brayden deals with Cystic Fibrosis, which makes him highly susceptible to lung infections and limits the ability to breathe.
Â
ABOUT TEAM IMPACT:
Â
Since 2011, Team IMPACT has matched more than 1,300 children with more than 500 colleges and universities in 47 states, reaching over 35,000 participating student-athletes. The child joins the athletic team and the student-athletes join the child's support team – from Draft Day to Graduation. During the journey, the child gains strength, camaraderie, and support while the student-athletes experience lessons of courage, resiliency and perspective they can't learn in a classroom. Team IMPACT is a national nonprofit headquartered in Boston that connects children facing serious or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming life-long bonds and life-changing outcomes. Team IMPACT has more than 1,000 teams across the country waiting to be matched with children, ages 5-16, who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening or chronic illness and who could benefit from becoming a member of the team. If you know a child who may be interested, visit www.goteamimpact.org for more information.
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