The University of Cincinnati Adaptive Athletics Program provides a competitive athletic environment for students with physical disabilities, building personal growth, community and excellence through participation in sports. The program is open to all UC students (undergraduate or graduate/professional, all campuses) with a qualifying disability, at any skill level.
UC Adaptive Athletics currently offers:
- Wheelchair Tennis: Athletes with lower limb disabilities use specially designed sports wheelchairs, following traditional tennis rules with an allowance for two bounces.
- Para Track and Field: Athletes compete in traditional track and field events that are adapted for their disability. They may use racing wheelchairs, protheses, specialized frames, or running guides.
Meet the UC Adaptive Athletes
When you support UC Adaptive Athletics, you’re supporting student athletes like Mikiahya Greene. Mikiahya was victim of gun violence and became a paraplegic in 2023. She joined UC Adaptive Athletics just a year later in 2024 as one of our founding athletes.
“I’ve been an athlete my whole life and fell in love with track in high school. My experiences as an athlete and the mental toughness I developed are what got me through rehab after my injury. I thought my days competing were behind me, and then Coach Counts recruited me to join UC’s new para track and field team. I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a Bearcat. I’m now in a new and unexpected chapter of my life as a student and an athlete, and I plan to make the most of it by adding to UC’s tradition of athletics excellence in a new way!”
Alongside Mikiahya, Adaptive Athletics has transformed the college experience for sophomore athlete Seth Miller. Seth grew up in Fishers, Indiana, where he played hockey before a rock-climbing accident and spinal cord injury during high school set him on a different trajectory.
After Seth heard about UC’s new adaptive sports program, it was an easy decision to join the team as a competitive para track and wheelchair tennis athlete.
"There are so many different opportunities that you get playing adaptive sports to meet people," Miller told WTHR. "I think it's just a mindset of getting things done. I think it's a great opportunity. Not a lot of schools have it."
The Future of UC Adaptive Athletics
Our program will continue to collaborate with local organizations like The Bridge Adaptive Sports and Recreation with the goal of establishing UC as a national collegiate hub for adaptive sports. Through partnerships, UC Adaptive Athletics aims to create a pathway where students with disabilities can achieve their fullest potential in competitive sports while representing their Bearcat Pride.
By supporting UC Adaptive Athletics, you are investing in an accessible and empowering sports culture, where every student with a disability has the chance to compete, connect, and excel. Collegiate adaptive athletics is a growing space, and UC is at the forefront. However, the limited number of universities offering adaptive athletics programs means our teams require a substantial travel budget. Competitions will take our teams to destinations like Tuscaloosa, Ann Arbor, and Tucson. As they say, “to be the best, you have to beat the best” and with your support our athletes will be at the key meets and matches to do just that!
UC Adaptive Athletics Media Coverage:
Ohio Newsroom: University of Cincinnati starts Ohio's First Competitive Collegiate Adaptive Sports Program
UC and UC Health employees can give via payroll deduction today.
