SHELDON, Iowa – June 29, 2026 – The Village Panthers, a Special Olympics team comprised of athletes served by Village Northwest Unlimited, took home the bronze medal in traditional volleyball at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games representing Team Iowa. From June 22-25, nine Panther athletes competed alongside more than 4,500 other athletes and coaches from all 50 states at one of the highest levels of Special Olympics competition.
Representing the team were Isabel Back, Keyanna Brower, Dan De Boer, Allison Ernst, Colby Huffman, Travis Klein, John List, Scott Wheeler and Charles White. They were led by coaches Deb Middle, Sara Wolthuizen and Mindy Liechti.
“Just qualifying for the USA Games is an incredible accomplishment. They showed resilience all week long and never stopped encouraging each other. That kind of teamwork is what makes this group so special,” Middle commented.
The Panthers competed at the 3M Arena at Mariucci on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis, MN. They faced strong national competition, including matches against Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Missouri, Alabama and Texas. Team Iowa battled hard throughout the tournament, with several matches ending 0-2 against top teams in their division.
“We’re so proud of them. They represented the Village and our state really well with their hard work and sportsmanship. Participating in these games took months of training and prep. It was really fun to see them compete together on a national stage,” shared Wolthuizen.
