PHOENIX, Ariz. – Former Slippery Rock University pole vaulter and 2020 SRU alumna Roxanne Dunn was presented with the 2024 NCAA Inspiration Award Wednesday evening during the NCAA Convention Welcome and Awards Presentation from Symphony Hall in Phoenix.
 
The Inspiration Award is presented to a coach or administrator currently associated with intercollegiate athletics or to a current or former varsity letter winner at an NCAA school. It honors those who used perseverance, dedication and determination to overcome a life-altering situation and become role models, giving hope and inspiration to others.
 
Dunn's life was forever changed after she was the passenger in a serious car accident in March of 2021. The accident left her with severed intestines, a broken orbital socket and an incomplete tear of her spinal cord. She was paralyzed from the waist down and didn't know if she would ever walk again. You can read more about her inspirational story HERE and HERE.
 
Nearly three years after the accident, the way Dunn has dealt with the aftermath of the life-altering moment with immense positivity and willpower was recognized and celebrated by the NCAA Wednesday night.
 
Dunn and her parents were joined by representatives from SRU in Phoenix for the awards ceremony, where she got to share the stage with other NCAA major award winners, including astronaut Nicole Aunapu Mann, Olympic beach volleyball legend Misty May-Treanor, former U.S. Women's National Team soccer stars Shannon Boxx and Cindy Parlow Cone, former NFL player Esera Tuaolo and Olympic legend and lifelong amateur athletics advocate Anita DeFrantz, among others.
 
"I want to thank the NCAA, the awards selection committee, Jon Holtz, Bill Jordan and Roberta Page for nominating me, choosing me, and ultimately allowing me to have such an incredible experience," said Dunn. "I had the opportunity to connect with so many wonderful people and left feeling like my story really matters. Hearing the stories of the other award winners was so inspiring. I could not be more grateful for this experience."
 
The presentation of the award was done by longtime ESPN reporter and student-athlete advocate Holly Rowe, who personally went out of her way to spend a few minutes chatting with Dunn following the awards. Rowe also shared Dunn's story and video to her social media page on X (Twitter), saying she "met the most phenomenal woman tonight."
 
"It is impossible to spend time with Roxanne and not come away feeling inspired," said SRU director of athletics Roberta Page. "We had a wonderful evening getting to celebrate her and I couldn't be prouder that she is an alumna of our great institution. When we talk about the kind of people we want our student-athletes to become when they leave Slippery Rock, we can point to Roxanne."
 
Dunn becomes the second former Slippery Rock student-athlete to earn a major NCAA award in the last three years, joining former football player Jaimire Dutrieuille, who earned the Award of Valor in 2021.
 
 
 

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