- Posted in All University
- Category: Campus News
Women's volleyball head coach Jill Freese alongside Eva Nelson at the Signing Day ceremony at Manuel Rivero Hall.
Photo Courtesy/Bill Rudick
Head coach Jill Freese and the Lincoln University women's volleyball program announced the signing of nine-year-old Eva Nelson from Parkesburg, Pennsylvania at a Signing Day ceremony at Manuel Rivero Hall Friday evening.
Nelson, who comes to the Lions via Team IMPACT and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, is one of 30,000 patients in the United States living courageously with cystic fibrosis (CF), a disease predominantly diagnosed in children by the age of 2. By sponsoring Draft Days of children with CF, Vertex Pharmaceuticals helps spread awareness for the disease—and the life-long, positive effects Team IMPACT has on these children.
"We are all very excited to have Eva and her family officially join our team tonight," said Coach Freese. "So far this season, Eva has been super helpful and we've enjoyed having her at our events."
After signing her letter of intent, Eva met the media for her first official press conference as a Lion. She discussed many of her favorite things including her favorite color, food and how excited she is to be a part of the team.
Coach Freese presented Eva with a Lincoln Volleyball shirt which she immediately put on along with a knapsack with assorted Lions gear. Nelson then took part in the team's warmup activities as they prepared for their final home game of the season.
"This relationship that we're building with Eva is awesome and I think it can be beneficial for both parties involved," adds Freese.
Eva served as a honorary captain and took part in the pre-game coin toss. She also stood with the team as starting lineups were announced. Here, Nelson met the Lincoln fans for the first time as the PA announcer announced her signing and announced her as an honorary start to the crowd. Her presence on the bench helped inspire the team to earn a thrilling 3-2 win over the Bulldogs.
"Although our season is coming to an end, we all look forward to having Eva join us during our off season, as well as joining the softball team this coming spring," said Freese.
About Team IMPACT
Team IMPACT is a national nonprofit headquartered in Boston that connects children facing serious or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming life-long bonds and life-changing outcomes. Team IMPACT has more than 1,000 teams across the country waiting to be matched with children, ages 5-16, who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening or chronic illness and who could benefit from becoming a member of the team. If you know a child who may be interested, visit www.goteamimpact.org for more information.
About Vertex Pharmaceuticals
The CF community motivates Vertex employees each day to dig deeper, to do more, to explore the "what ifs," and to push the boundaries of what we know. We aim to discover and develop medicines that will treat the underlying cause of CF for the vast majority of people with the disease, and our ultimate goal is to cure it. Beyond our transformational medicines, we help people with CF lead active lives and pursue higher education, and we fund independent research and innovative patient centric programs. To learn more please visit www.vrtxallincf.com