CLEVELAND - The National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals (N4A) has announced the recipients of its 2019 Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Awards. 

The honorees will be recognized during the N4A Convention Awards Luncheon on Saturday, June 8, at the World Center Marriott Resort in Orlando, Florida.

"As we honor this year's N4A Wilma Rudolph Award winners, I reflect on the courage and determination of the Olympian for whom this award is named," stated current N4A President and Senior Associate Athletics Director, Academic Services of University of Oklahoma, Mike Meade. "Wilma's extraordinary character is a shining example to student-athletes who strive to exemplify the spirit of her legacy. As her story illustrates, she defied overwhelming odds after suffering from polio and enduring the long-term effects of this crippling disease. Facing the likelihood of paralysis, she not only learned to walk again, but also become the first female American three-time Olympic gold medal winner in track and field. As a result of her grace and fortitude, she established herself as one of the most decorated U.S. female athletes, and broke records and gender barriers. On behalf of the N4A Board of Directors and our membership, it's an honor and privilege to congratulate the recipients of the 2019 Wilma Rudolph Award. We are so proud of their accomplishments and excited to honor them in Orlando," he concluded.

The 2019 Wilma Rudolph recipients are Madeline Banic, University of Tennessee; Sunkyu Paul Bin, University of Maryland; Noelle Lambert, University of Massachusetts Lowell; Maggie Nichols, University of Oklahoma; and Levi Prater, University of Oklahoma.

Madeline Banic - University of Tennessee
A three-time First-Team All-SEC selection, Banic served as a team captain for the Volunteers women's swimming and diving program. An eight-time All-America honoree, Banic serves as mental health advocate as a result of her own battles with mental health. Though Banic has fulfilled many dreams and earned numerous accolades, her journey was successful because of her grit, determination and humility. Following a diagnoses of depression and anxiety, she took advantage of her resources through a sport psychologist, sport psychiatrist and medication. But her mental health still took a toll on her physical well-being as she turned to alcohol to self-medicate. Those actions manifested in suicidal thoughts and actions. Fortunately, her roommates intervened. Banic then decided to forfeit half of her athletic season, drop out of school and go to an inpatient treatment center. Her days were filled with group therapy and individual meetings. After two weeks of inpatient care and two weeks of partial hospitalization, Banic returned to Knoxville, Tennessee, in hopes of returning to her normal routine. However, since she was not a full-time student, she could not participate with the swim team, reconnect with her teammates or use the athletics facilities. She did not let this adversity stand in her way. Banic joined the local club team, practiced every day, cycled and ran stadiums, weight trained in the evenings, and competed in swim meets. She became her own motivation. Banic reenrolled for the spring semester as a full-time student, competed with her team and exceeded everyone's expectations; earning All-SEC accolades. Most importantly, Banic is an advocate of mental health, sharing her story to create awareness and understanding in Knoxville and beyond. "Mental health does not go away, it is simply controlled. The only difference is I have a new-found motivation. A new way of thinking and interpreting thoughts. I am powerful. I am a leader. I am a lover. I am a light. I can change the world of collegiate athletics. I can show people that just because you hit rock bottom, that doesn't mean you can't come rocketing out on top. One day my story will affect thousands of athletes. The conversation has just begun." – Maddy Banic

Sunkyu Paul Bin - University of Maryland
Bin's life was supposed to be every kid's dream. Born in Seoul, South Korea, raised in London, England, he comes from a loving, compassionate family who supported him regardless of who or what he wanted to become. He came to the United States to attend high school at one of the best soccer academies in the U.S. It was there he was scouted by the University of Maryland and eventually committed to play for the Terps; fulfilling his dream. On the outside, it seemed everything was going perfectly for Bin, but internally he struggled with his mental health. His first year at Maryland proved to be difficult, as he battled with depression and anxiety daily. His performance on and off the pitch began to decline dramatically. As his world seemingly crumbled beneath him, suicidal thoughts became more and more frequent, until Bin opened up to his coaches about his battle with mental health. With their unconditional support, he decided it would be best to fly home to Korea to take care of his mental well-being. After a year away from Maryland and his teammates, Bin was welcomed back with open arms and he began to thrive. Bin readjusted to college life, rebuilt relationships, and started to show serious academic promise. However, it was his junior year that he viewed as his redemption year, pushing himself both academically and athletically. He emerged as a leader amongst his peers and played an essential role in the Terps NCAA title run this past year. With the support of those around him, Bin faced his depression head on and has become an advocate for mental health awareness.

Noelle Lambert - UMass Lowell
Lambert had the start to her collegiate lacrosse career that most people dream of, finishing her rookie campaign as the team's leading scorers en route to America East All-Rookie Team laurels. However, following a very serious moped accident on a summer trip to Martha's Vineyard that resulted in her left leg being amputated above the knee, her future in lacrosse was uncertain. After spending her sophomore year working with a physical therapist, and watching practice and games, Lambert was determined to not be sidelined by her injury for another season. She applied to The Challenged Athletes Foundation for assistance in obtaining a specialized prosthetic that would allow her to run, since her insurance only covered the cost of her every day prosthetic. She received her running blade with the foundation's help on April 7, 2017. The summer prior to her junior year, Lambert worked with a trainer to learn how to run on her new blade and get back into playing shape. When she returned to campus in the fall she was in the best shape of her life and worked tirelessly with her coaches on the field and in the weight room to keep improving. Her commitment to growth and improvement also extended into the classroom where she raised her GPA to a 3.5. Despite all of this progress, Lambert sat out part of her junior season waiting to be cleared by the NCAA to play with her prosthetic. She received clearance to play and her first game back was on April 7, 2018, one year to the day she received her running blade. After overcoming all of the obstacles placed in front of her, Lambert not only played in that game, she also scored a goal. She credits her teammates, coaches, administrators, family, and friends for supporting and believing in her when she doubted herself. With that undying support, coupled with her successful recovery and comeback to lacrosse, Lambert created The Born to Run Foundation with the mission to help younger people and children in need of specialized prosthetics so that they can lead fun and fulfilling lives.

Maggie Nichols - University of Oklahoma
It is the dream of many young children who play sports – to make it all the way. That pinnacle looks different depending on the sport, and for the sport of gymnastics the highest level is making the US National and Olympic teams. At the age of 15, Nichols achieved that dream and made the US National Gymnastics Team. While representing the United States for five years, and traveling all over the world, it would seem she was living her dream. Unfortunately, there were aspects of her dream that were anything but. In 2015, Nichols reported an incident of sexual abuse by the team doctor, Larry Nassar, to USA Gymnastics. Despite Nichols' bravery in coming forward, her abuser continued to treat athletes until his dismissal and eventual arrest in 2017. During this time Nichols suffered a knee injury and missed qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Team. Despite these setbacks and betrayals, she continued competing and found her way to Norman, Oklahoma and University of Oklahoma. There, while continuing to struggle with her past experiences, Nichols had an immediate impact on the competitive success of the team. She earned an individual national title on the bars and led the Sooners to an NCAA team title. All of this was unfolding as Nichols' abuser was finally being brought to justice. Nichols, as it turns out, became "Athlete A" in what would be a list of hundreds of female athletes who were abused by Nassar. She was the only survivor who was competing in college gymnastics at the time, identifying herself without knowing what the outcome of the case would be, or the potential fallout of her decision to go public. Nichols decided to publicly identify herself as "Athlete A" in order to continue inspiring more individuals to stand up for themselves, and to know that they have a right to fight back and be heard. Despite the challenges of the ordeal, Nichols continues to excel both athletically and academically, and helped lead the Sooners to another NCAA crown this past April.

Levi Prater - University of Oklahoma
Just shy of his second birthday, Prater's life was forever changed when he sustained a catastrophic injury, losing three fingers and more than half of his right hand while riding the lawnmower with his father. This injury made simple tasks, such as tying his shoes, a challenge. In addition to the physical challenges, his permanent hand injury also affected him psychologically as he found himself often teased for being different. These same challenges have pushed Prater to embrace his unique journey and instilled the contagious positive attitude and tenacious work ethic that led him to living out his dream as a University of Oklahoma baseball player. Prater has more than thrived as a Division I pitcher, earning the honor of being named an All-American in his rookie season. Beyond his success athletically, Prater has become a young man that immediately has an impact on those around him. He lives his life never taking a moment for granted and, in turn, teaches others to do the same.

Applications for the 2020 N4A Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Awards will become available January 2020 (tentative).

About the Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award: The N4A Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award honors student-athletes who have overcome great personal, academic, and/or emotional odds to achieve academic success while participating in intercollegiate athletics. These young men and women may not be the star athletes or best students, and therefore may not have been recognized by other organizations or awards. Nonetheless, they have persevered and made significant personal strides toward success. 

About N4A: N4A, which has been in existence since 1975, is a diverse educational service and professional non-profit organization. Membership of N4A includes academic support and student services personnel who are committed to enhancing opportunities for academic, athletics and personal success for student-athletes. For more information on N4A, visit www.nfoura.org. N4A is administered by NACDA, now in its 54^th year, administers 17 professional associations, including seven for the separate business units that report directly to the athletics directors. For more information on NACDA, visit www.nacda.com.