Wrestling Team Drafts 14-Year-Old of Team IMPACT

On Feb. 14, the Wesleyan University wrestling team added its newest member to the team as 14-year old Amar Champlin of Team IMPACT signed his National Letter of Intent.

“It is a great day to be a Cardinal,” said head coach Drew Black. “And it is a great day to be Amar and have him and his family join our team. We are all very excited as we added a great Cardinal to the program.”

Amar is in the eighth grade and hails from Old Saybrook, Conn. He loves sports, especially wrestling.

“To be a Cardinal, you need to be dedicated, hardworking, caring, thoughtful, and invested in making yourself better and all your teammates around you better in every way,” Black said. “Amar will certainly make our program better by bringing all of his great qualities and values. We are so happy and proud to add Amar Champlin to the Wesleyan University wrestling team!”

Amar’s “Draft Day” celebration included an official press conference, the signing of a National Letter of Intent, and special remarks by Drew Black, as the wrestling team cheered him on and welcomed him graciously. Now, as a team member, Amar will attend Cardinals’ practices, games, team dinners, events, and more.

Team IMPACT is a national nonprofit headquartered in Boston, Mass., that connects children facing serious or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming lifelong bonds and life-changing outcomes. Since 2011, Team IMPACT has matched over 2,000 children with more than 700 colleges and universities in 48 states, reaching over 55,000 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.

Photos of the “Draft Day” are below. (Photos by Bre Cavanaugh ’19)