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Paralympic Gold Medalist Darlene Hunter elected to USOPC AAC

By NWBA, 12/08/20, 6:30PM CST

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Darlene Hunter, currently Chair of the Women's Division and a Member of the Gold Medal winning Rio 2016 Paralympic Women's Wheelchair Basketball Team, has been voted in by her peers to represent the National Wheelchair Basketball Association on the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) Athletes’ Advisory Council. The NWBA conducted its election process in accordance with the NWBA Bylaws.

Hunter’s first major international competition was the 2010 International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) World Championships where Team USA won a Gold Medal. Her resume at IWBF events is impressive having won five medals at senior caliber events (i.e., Paralympics, World Championships and Para Pan American Games). The above results are in addition to her many accolades within the NWBA at the Collegiate, Women's and Adult Division levels.

Darlene went to the University of Arizona for racing and then began playing on the women’s wheelchair basketball team. She moved to Texas and began working with Texas Regional Para Sport to help build opportunities for individuals throughout the state including grant writing to advance adaptive sports for community programming and camps. As a result of her election to USOPC AAC, Hunter will also become a member of the NWBA board of directors and will be a member of the NWBA AAC. Learn more about the NWBA AAC Here!

 

A result of Hunter’s appointment to the USOPC AAC and the NWBA board of directors, she will vacate the Chair role for the Women’s Division. Per the Women’s Division Guidelines, Jennifer Poist (Vice Chair) will assume the responsibilities of the Chair until the election at the Annual Assembly (currently scheduled for June 2020).

 

The USOPC Athletes’ Advisory Council is responsible for broadening communication between the USOPC and active Team USA athletes, and serves as a source of input and advice to the USOPC board of directors. The USOPC AAC includes elected athlete representatives across a variety of different sport organizations that have an affiliation with the USOPC thru their participation in Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Para Pan American Games. 

 

Two-time Paralympic medalist, Steve Serio of New York City, New York, was elected as the alternate. His term as alternate is following a 4-year term as the USOPC AAC representative. Steve taking on the alternate role will provide continuity and support for the NWBA. Serio was a Co-Captain of the 2016 Men's Paralympic team that won gold in Rio. He has been an NWBA member at the Junior, Collegiate and Adult Division level. His breadth of experiences helps him represent the NWBA athlete voice within the USOPC AAC and within the NWBA. 

Please join us in congratulating and thanking Darlene, Jennifer and Steve for their ongoing willingness to give back to the game of wheelchair basketball. For 71 years, the organization has provided access to sport for people with disabilities through a self-governance model.