Komoroski, Schneck Named Maryland’s 2025-26 Big Ten Jackie Robinson Award Winners

COLLEGE PARK, MD — Maddie Komoroski of the Maryland gymnastics and Joey Schneck of Maryland wrestling have been named the college’s 2025-26 Big Ten Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award winners as introduced by the convention on Wednesday. 

Komoroski embodies the spirit of Jackie’s Nine by means of her braveness, integrity, and unwavering dedication to excellence each on and off the competitors ground. As a senior Mechanical Engineering main in one of many nation’s top-ranked packages, Maddie balances an intense tutorial schedule with management, athletic excellence, and significant group service.

A real chief throughout the Maryland Gymnastics program, Maddie serves because the anchor on stability beam, a job demanding each composure and braveness, and is acknowledged because the group’s commonplace of positivity, ardour, and onerous work. Her persistence was particularly evident following shoulder surgical procedure, the place her willpower and resilience allowed her to return to full competitors type with out lacking a season.

Beyond athletics, Maddie’s affect radiates throughout campus and the group. She actively represents student-athletes by means of SAAC, contributes to Maryland Made initiatives akin to Kubasik First Impact and Gossett Fellows, and leads by instance by means of service. Her volunteer efforts embrace supporting Terpsgiving, Adopt-a-Family, and studying to youngsters at native hospitals. Maddie additionally championed the gymnastics program’s annual LGBTQ+ Pride meet, advocating for inclusivity and justice for underrepresented communities.

Her achievements culminate in excellence—incomes the title of NCAA Regional Balance Beam Champion (9.95) whereas sustaining tutorial distinction and a steadfast dedication to giving again. Maddie’s humility, management, and braveness exemplify the enduring legacy of Jackie Robinson, making her a really deserving recipient of the Jackie Robinson Campus Impact Award.

Schneck’s dedication to service and management exemplifies the spirit of Jackie’s Nine, demonstrating integrity, braveness, teamwork, and compassion by means of significant group engagement. His affect is most evident by means of his management with the Project Life Movement, the place he has helped recruit over 300 college students to the nationwide stem cell and bone marrow registry, leading to a confirmed donor match with the potential to save lots of a life. Joey’s potential to mobilize

friends, prepare volunteers, and collaborate throughout campus illustrates his dedication to creating service sustainable and impactful.

Beyond PLM, Joey serves the College Park Pregnancy Aid Center, the place he gives crucial behind-the-scenes help to assist ship reasonably priced OB/GYN care to low-income girls, breaking gender norms by means of humility, onerous work, and empathy. Additionally, his mentorship on the Run Your City: College Park youth operating camp displays his ardour for creating confidence, perseverance, and pleasure in youngsters by means of sports activities and optimistic steering.

Through these efforts, Joey has embodied Jackie Robinson’s legacy—main with coronary heart, advocating for others, and creating inclusive, life-changing alternatives throughout the campus and local people. His constant dedication to serving others with goal and humility makes him a deserving recipient of the Jackie Robinson Campus Impact Award.

Both might be in rivalry for the general Big Ten Conference award winner. Last yr, Maryland soccer participant Dillan Fontus was the inaugural male winner from the convention. 

In honor of Jackie Robinson’s core values of braveness, willpower, teamwork, persistence, integrity, citizenship, justice, dedication, and excellence, the Big Ten Conference right this moment introduced the inaugural Big Ten Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award to acknowledge the convention’s student-athletes who’ve made an distinctive affect of their local people. Before breaking Major League Baseball’s colour barrier, Jackie Robinson was a standout student-athlete at UCLA, the place he was the college’s first four-sport letter winner, excelling in soccer, basketball, observe and area, and baseball.

Student-athletes might be nominated primarily based on the next standards:

• Demonstrated Impact: Significant and tangible contributions to group initiatives or causes, together with measurable outcomes or optimistic modifications ensuing from their involvement.
• Collaboration and Teamwork: Ability to work successfully with others, together with friends, organizations, and group members, to attain frequent objectives and improve group affect.
• Consistency and Commitment: Ongoing and constant participation in group service actions over an prolonged time period.
• Visibility and Advocacy: Efforts to lift consciousness and advocate for necessary teams or causes, leveraging their platform to advertise optimistic change and have interaction others.

“The Big Ten Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award celebrates Jackie’s legacy of excellence in community service,” mentioned Sonya Pankey Robinson, Jackie’s first grandchild, Director and board member of the Jackie Robinson Foundation. “We are proud to recognize 36 outstanding men and women for the incredible impact they make in their community.”

Each Big Ten member-institution can nominate two student-athletes, one male and one feminine, from their respective faculties. The Big Ten Conference will choose two Jackie Robinson Community & Impact award winners, from the 36 nominations, who might be introduced by the Big Ten Conference this spring. All remaining nominees might be acknowledged with particular person awards for his or her contributions to their native communities. 

The Big Ten Conference’s dedication to athletics, lecturers and repair goes again to the convention’s founding. Coupling the tutorial objectives set forth by leaders of the constitution members of the convention with their steadfast dedication to athletics, the convention instituted the Big Ten Medal of Honor in 1915, the primary award to display help for the academic emphasis positioned on intercollegiate athletics. It is awarded yearly by every member establishment to at least one male and one feminine pupil of the graduating class who has attained the best proficiency in scholarship and athletics.

In June of 2020 the convention launched the Big Ten Equality Coalition. This group, which options student-athletes, coaches, athletic administrators, chancellors, presidents and different members, has a said purpose of looking for tangible methods to actively and constructively fight racism and hate around the globe, whereas additionally empowering student-athletes to specific their rights to free speech and peaceable protest. An necessary initiative ensuing from conversations initiated by the coalition was the Big Ten Voter Registration Initiative.

In current years, a number of delegations of convention student-athletes and directors have traveled to Selma and Montgomery, Alabama, for an immersive civil rights academic expertise entitled: “Big Life Series: Selma to Montgomery.” The go to to one of many key facilities of the civil rights motion was highlighted by marching throughout the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma to be taught extra concerning the profound affect that younger individuals had on the civil rights motion.

Additionally, the Big Ten Conference is devoted to creating a long-lasting affect on the communities the place its main occasions are held internet hosting sports activities clinics, renovating recreation facilities, and giving elementary-aged youngsters a behind-the-scenes expertise with main Big Ten occasions. In all instances the convention focuses on creating significant enhancements aimed toward leaving every location higher than it was discovered. Most just lately, the Big Ten collaborated with the College Football Playoff Foundation, native sports activities organizations and native faculty districts to reinforce areas for academics and youngsters whereas offering further academic and athletic alternatives for kids.

As Jackie Robison famously mentioned, “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”