FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bianca Becomes Third Student Matched at Adelphi
FOR PHOTOS, SEE BELOW
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. - With the help of Team IMPACT, the Adelphi women's basketball team drafted its final team member for the upcoming season recently. The Panthers added 11-year-old Bianca Onorato, a product of Rockville Centre, N.Y., in a ceremonial signing day in the Campbell Lounge. The women's basketball program, joined by members of the Onorato family and Adelphi athletic administration, watched as Onorato signed her National Letter of Intent, making her officially a member of the team.
"Your positive outlook on life, despite your circumstances has been a major influence and has been put a lot of things into perspective for all of us here," remarked senior Simone Hobdy, student-athlete ambassador. "You are the amount of strong and resilient that we all aspire to be. Bianca, you may look up and love us, but we want you to know that you are the real hero here."
"I hope that one day we can be half as tough as you are. We want to thank you for being the beautiful soul that you are and impacting our lives in the way that you have, and the way that you will continue to," she concluded.
In 2013, the 11-year old was diagnosed with Crohn's disease and Juvenile Arthritis. With all that Onorato has been through and continues to fight through, she has already been a huge inspiration to her new teammates. Onorato and the team joined forces at the end of last semester, with an "unofficial visit" in May. Throughout the summer each member of the team wrote letters to young basketball and softball player, and a few of Adelphi's local players had the chance to meet up with the family as they awaited the official signing.
When Adelphi head coach Missy Traversi first started at Adelphi, Team IMPACT had no athletes in the area surrounding Adelphi. "Bianca, I say this happily, you are well worth the wait. We waited two years for you and we feel as though we got the diamond so we are so happy to have you," Traversi said at Onorato's signing ceremony.
Recently, Onorato joined the Panthers at their annual Midnight Madness and the team even surprised her at an afternoon game of her own. She will have the opportunity to be with the team at home games - even maybe the game at Molloy since it's in her hometown, said her mom - and events involving the basketball program.
This feature is part of the NE10's Embrace the Impact week which runs from Monday, December 18 through Friday, December 22. One of the tenents of the NE10's recently-introduced branding campaign is 'Our Character Remains Undefeated'. The headline speaks directly to the league's commitment to community-service efforts, and how it is a hallmark of the league and what it stands for: that the NE10's student-athletes exhibit great character; they conduct themselves with integrity on and off the field of play through hard work.
Schedule of Embrace the Impact Releases:
Monday - Southern New Hampshire 'Joy Jars'
Tuesday - Adelphi Women's Basketball Adds Bianca to it's Roster through Team IMPACT
Wednesday - Franklin Pierce Joins Forces with Special Olympics
Thursday - Saint Rose SAAC 'Adopts a Family'
Friday - Saint Michael's Holiday Letters through A Million Thanks
Information and photos for this release provided by the athletic communications staff at Adelphi
ABOUT TEAM IMPACT
Team IMPACT is a national nonprofit headquartered in Boston, Mass. that connects children facing serious or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming life-long bonds and life-changing outcomes. Since 2011, Team IMPACT has matched more than 1,300 children with more than 500 colleges and universities in 47 states, reaching over 35,000 participating student-athletes. The child joins the athletic team and the student-athletes join the child's support team. Throughout the journey, the child gains strength, camaraderie and support while the student-athletes experience lessons of courage, resiliency and perspective they can't learn in a classroom.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.