CLEVELAND —Maryland pole vaulter
Gwendolyn Zeckowski was named one of six recipients of the 2021 Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Awards as announced by the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals (N4A). 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. They have persevered and made significant personal strides toward success.
Zeckowski was a normal student-athlete at the University of Maryland at the start of 2020, however on February 11, 2020 her life changed forever. She suffered a series of ischemic strokes. After multiple tests, Zeckowski was diagnosed with Moyamoya Disease (MMD), which is a rare and progressive disease that affects the major arteries and blood vessels in the brain. The only solution was brain surgery. With the pandemic escalating, the thought of flying across the country to Stanford for surgery was terrifying, but her condition was getting worse. She ended up getting surgery on June 9, 2020, and after almost three weeks in California, she was able to return to Maryland. She returned to school in August, though now she had to work twice as hard due to the effects of the strokes she had suffered, but she did not let that stop her. She was back in school full time and able to start working out to gain her physical strength back. Today, she is on track to graduate and compete in pole vaulting again.
"The N4A is honored to recognize six outstanding student-athletes with its annual Wilma Rudolph Award. These student-athletes have overcome many obstacles in their lives, and demonstrated grit, resilience, determination, and strength. They are outstanding examples of the power of the human spirit, and we are proud to honor them," said Ursula Gurney, N4A President and Deputy Director of Athletics/SWA, University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC).
The 2021 Wilma Rudolph recipients are: Kaia Harris, Purdue University; Gia Hodges, University of Tennessee; Hunter Pinke, University of North Dakota; Bryand Rincher, Florida State University; Charles (Tre) Tipton, University of Pittsburgh; and Zeckowski. These six student-athletes will be honored in conjunction with the 2021 N4A Virtual Convention on June 23, which is Wilma Rudolph's birthday.
About Wilma Rudolph: Despite being told as a child she would never walk again, Wilma Rudolph relentlessly pursued her dreams 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 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 56th year. For more information on NACDA and the 17 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.
