CLEVELAND – The National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals (N4A) has announced the recipients of its 2023 Wilma 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 individuals have persevered and made significant personal strides toward success.

"N4A is honored to recognize five outstanding student-athletes with our annual Wilma Rudolph Award. These student-athletes have overcome many obstacles in their lives, and each has demonstrated grit, resilience, determination, and strength" said Jackie Nicholson, N4A President and Executive Director of Athletics, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). "On behalf of the N4A Board of Directors and our membership, I would like to congratulate the recipients of the 2023 N4A Wilma Rudolph Award. We are proud of their accomplishments and excited to honor them."

The 2023 Wilma Rudolph recipients are Madison Bednarik, Monmouth University, Cahiem Brown, Norfolk State University, Caroline Crouse, James Madison University, Abdelrahman El-Araby, University of Louisville, and Ekhardt van der Watt, Idaho State University. These five student-athletes will be honored in conjunction with the 2023 N4A Convention on June 12.

Madison Bednarik, Monmouth University
Junior year was full of challenges for Madison Bednarik. It started off with an obstacle that felt life changing, and was the toughest thing she had done yet: transferring. Starting over at a new school was hard enough. The image she had of college was now starkly opposite of what she planned. After a season she hadn't thought possible for herself, starting on a division one team, playing her best lacrosse, surrounded by people who actually cared about and understood her, Madi was planning a perfect summer and senior year. When shoulder pain she assumed was end of the season soreness turned debilitating and was revealed to be a cancerous tumor, the best year of her life turned into a waking nightmare. In the wake of a lymphoma diagnosis, the loss of bodily autonomy, and the strength she had afforded herself from years of commitment as an athlete, Madi survived the unimaginable. Returning to lacrosse after a whirlwind 3 months was another unexpectedly difficult challenge. After chemotherapy it was her hope that she would be able to slide right back into her life as she had known it, but we know life is never that easy, and that was wishful thinking. Madi thinks resilience is not as seamless as we would like it to be. It's raw, ugly and vulnerable, and strength is shown in the embracing of it.

Through recovery Madi has written about her experiences in journal entries, essays, and social media posts. Sharing her words has been both healing to her and inspiring to others. With a unique style and rare experiences, Madi plans to continue to use her writing to give a voice to young adults like her. In using her new perspective from her less than optimal junior, year Madi hopes to help people develop their compassion and empathy by encouraging them to move through their own personal challenges with openness and authenticity. The acquired skill set that comes with surviving cancer has inspired Madi to apply her undergrad psychology education to support AYA cancer patients and their families through treatment and surveillance.

Cahiem Brown, Norfolk State University 
A kid from Brooklyn, NY, Cahiem Brown has overcome many challenges as a little boy and into his early adulthood. From being homeless, losing his mother at the age of 7, surviving a major hurricane, and suicide affecting his family, Cahiem has witnessed many traumas throughout his journey. Cahiem, the eldest of his siblings, took on many responsibilities after the loss of his mother. In 2012, New York experienced severe damage due to Hurricane Sandy. This included flooded streets, tunnels, and subway lines that left a majority of the city without power. 

During the peak of COVID in 2020, Cahiem faced another challenge as he has diagnosed with myocarditis, a condition that can lead to heart failure, abnormal heartbeat, and sudden death. After weekly hospital visits and being unsure if he could play basketball ever again, Cahiem was cleared to return to basketball. During his first season at NSU, he suffered a season-ending injury, two ruptured ligaments in his ankle. During his time away from basketball, Cahiem took full advantage of Ms. Brandy Gresham, the mental health counselor at Norfolk State University. With the help of Ms. Gresham and the sports medicine staff, Cahiem returned to basketball during the 2022-2023 season.

Cahiem understands the platform he has as a student-athlete and is unapologetic about his life and all that he has overcome. Cahiem strives to better himself to become a leader, role model, and a voice for mental health advocacy. He understands and knows firsthand the benefits of surrounding yourself with a community that cares about your well-being, and he wants to be that community for others who suffer in silence.

Caroline Crouse, James Madison University
Caroline Crouse appears to be your normal division one swimmer. She is a high-achieving student, pursuing a double major in Psychology and Special Education, all while balancing the hectic practice and competition schedule that accompanies swimming in college. However, when you dig deeper, you see a student-athlete that was diagnosed as autistic during her sophomore year in college. You see a student-athlete that struggles with anxiety and depression. You see a student-athlete that self-harms and struggles with thoughts of suicide. After a suicide threat in October 2022, she checked herself into a hospitalization program and put her athletic and academic goals on hold. She took a month off school to address these issues directly and care for herself and her well-being. Caroline has returned to the team and university, but she still struggles with these challenges on a daily basis. She knows that this is a continual process and is always working to be the best version of herself. She wants to be an example for those struggling with mental health issues, neurodiversity challenges, and other adversity that all student-athletes face. She knows that with support and love, you can overcome any adversity you face and become the best version of yourself.

Abdelrahman El-Araby, University of Louisville
Perseverance. Toughness. Competitor. All words that can be used to describe the many world class student-athletes that compete at our institutions daily, including Abdelrahman El-Araby, who arrived at the University of Louisville and made an immediate impact in the pool. During his sophomore season, El-Araby proved to be an integral member of the Cardinals' sprint group that qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 50 freestyle before the meet was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the 2020 ACC Championships, he earned a silver medal in the 50 freestyle, finished seventh in the 100 freestyle, and took 13th in the 100 butterfly. He was in prime position for the 2021-2022 championships. However, as with most student-athletes, Abdelrahman struggled mightily with the COVID-19 pandemic. He was unable to return to his home country of Egypt and the stresses of missing family and friends, academics, and competition began to take a toll. Eleven days prior to the 2022 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships, Abdelrahman took steps to end his life. He was hours away from death and laid in a coma for more than two days. Family, friends, and support staff wondered if he would be able to make a full recovery. After being released from the hospital he spent time recovering at a nearby rehab facility. After a long and winding road, Abdelrahman was able to return to the pool in 2022-2023. At the 2023 Men's ACC Swimming and Diving Championships he went from a sixth-place finish in the morning prelims to winning the gold medal that evening. Today, he uses his platform to share his story and talks openly about mental health struggles and their impact on student-athletes.

Ekhardt van der Watt, Idaho State University
Ekhardt van der Watt grew up in South Africa before arriving in the states to pursue a collegiate career in Track and Field as a pole vaulter. Idaho State University (ISU) is the third institution that Ekhardt has attended due to a coaching change and an institution dropping his sporting event. Within his first semester at ISU, he experienced concussions due to two car accidents, death in his family, contracted COVID, was ineligible to compete, and the institution discontinued his current major. Throughout these trials, Ekhardt struggled to navigate the academic requirements of a student-athlete and his mental health. He was diagnosed with acute major depressive disorder with suicidal ideation and began medication to treat his symptoms. It seemed like the punches kept rolling and it would have been easy for him to take a step back from being a student-athlete and return back home to South Africa. Instead of becoming frustrated or discouraged with his circumstances, he served to be a light to all those around him. This season he has placed himself in the ISU record books as 9th all-time in pole vault, he competed in the Big Sky Championships and won the Men's Pole Vault, and he will be graduating next spring with two certificates and a Bachelor of Business Administration in management and marketing.

About Wilma Rudolph: Despite being told as a child she would never walk again, Wilma Rudolph relentlessly pursued her dreams of becoming an international track and field star. At the height of her career, "the fastest woman in the world" used her platform to shed light on social issues. Rudolph competed in the 1956 Olympic Games and won a bronze medal in the 4x100 relay. Four years later, she headed to the 1960 Summer Olympics determined to earn gold. Her performance in Rome cemented her as one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. She won three gold medals and broke several world records. Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field at the same Olympic Games. The indoor track and dormitory at Tennessee State University are named in honor of Rudolph. She died of a brain tumor on November 12, 1994.

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, which is in its 57th year. For more information on NACDA and the 18 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.