Team IMPACT + The Sooners’ Secret Weapon: What Matters Most

“We believe that every child navigating serious health challenges deserves a team and, with the NCAA as our teammate, we’re closer to making that vision a reality.” – Krissie Kelleher, CEO, Team IMPACT

As student-athletes across the country wrapped up their 2026 seasons and academic years and celebrated their graduations, a very special group of youth were cheering them on not only for their achievements but also for their character, generosity, and the unexpected gift of family. Through Team IMPACT, a nonprofit that pairs sick and disabled children with college sports teams, the lives of more than 4,000 children have been changed forever by the joy, devotion, and grace of student-athletes who have dedicated themselves to making a difference.

Oklahoma’s men’s gymnastics team has partnered with Team IMPACT for nine years. The inspiration they’ve experienced goes well beyond the competition floor. It’s been life-changing. 

I had the opportunity to speak with Team IMPACT about their mission, along with Oklahoma head coach Mark Williams and Brigham Frentheway, one of the team’s senior co-captains, and meet one very special OU family at the 2026 NCAA Men’s National Championship. It was truly a season highlight, and one I’ll remember long after the chalk settled—a Hall of Fame moment of a different kind I’ll cherish forever.

Sooners’ Secret Weapon 

When you watch the Oklahoma men’s gymnastics team compete week after week inside McCasland Field House, or on the floor vying for a national championship every season, you see the chalk rise, hear the thud of each landing, and witness the celebration for each incredible routine. But what you might not see is the difference this team is making in the lives of children whose dreams mean so much more than winning a championship. At the 2026 Men’s NCAA Championship in Champaign, Illinois, in April, a very special teammate was right there with them. 

7-year-old Logan from Midwest City, Oklahoma—matched with the Sooners through Team IMPACT—traveled to Champaign with his family to support the team during the NCAA semifinals and finals thanks to Team IMPACT. It was the first time the organization sent a family to the men’s gymnastics national championship. Founded in 2011, Team IMPACT, in addition to matching more than 4,000 children with 800+ colleges and universities in all 50 states, has reached more than 100,000 student-athletes. The mission is to guide children and teams alike in a mutually beneficial relationship of belonging, empowerment, and resilience.

As 12-time National Champions, OU’s legacy is obvious. Its impact and longevity is much greater than the banners that hang on the wall. As part of Team IMPACT,  participating student-athletes have made an even greater and everlasting impression on a little boy who cannot only call himself their number one fan but also a forever-member of the OU gymnastics family.

Team IMPACT’s unique multiyear program is something Oklahoma head coach Mark Williams has embraced thoroughly. And it’s made all the difference in the world to Logan and his family. 

Nicole Hughes, Logan’s mom, told me, “The boys refer to the coach by his first name, Coach Mark, and he comes up and gives them hugs and picks them up and carries them around. I mean, it really has become a family, and they’re there for the boys and us in the hard times and then the fun times too, which is just really awesome.”

Logan lives with epilepsy and joined a program that previously supported his brother, Dylan, through a heart condition—making this the second time the Hughes family has seen the effect Team IMPACT has. Since January of this year, Logan has been embraced by the team and is now experiencing the same sense of belonging and support. It was a full circle moment for the family. 

“Having first Dylan, and now Logan, and the entire Hughes family as part of our OU gymnastics family has been a moving and inspiring experience for me, and the team,” Williams said. “Dylan was the second Team IMPACT athlete to join our squad, with Logan following in his footsteps, and the way the whole Hughes family has continued to attend every home meet, and follow the team and our athletes personally, long after their season ‘on the team’ is up, is truly a special relationship. They’ve been a true part of the program, coming into the gym to play and run around with the team in the off-season, too. Having been around for three years now, we’ve actually been able to see Dylan grow, get healthier and be able to do more and more. It’s been a real joy.”

Both boys loved gymnastics early on, so when they connected with Team IMPACT, pairing with a gymnastics team was the obvious choice, Nicole said. “We actually had requested a gymnastics team, and they matched us with OU. We’ve been with the team now for about four years, and it’s just been so cool. They really go the extra mile. The guys come to the boys’ birthday parties. When they’re in the hospital, they’ll send them videos. They refer to them as their friends. They say, ‘My OU friends. I want to go see my friends.’ Just to see them go the extra mile, you know, they could easily just invite us to a meet here and there and have that be it. But we’re family. It’s just so awesome.”

Oklahoma senior co-captain Brigham Frentheway, who celebrated his graduation last week, said the positive impact Logan and his family has made on him and his teammates extends far more than a single season. It’s a life lesson. “Seeing Logan having so much trouble on some days, but still having a smile on his face, that’s the biggest impact. Being able to see him, as just this little innocent boy, going through these struggles every day, but having that positive mindset, really impacts me as an individual and our team, too. The younger guys and I who are in this Team IMPACT role, it helps give a wider scope of perspective when we have our hard days. 

“If I have an injury, or I’m struggling with school, or, you know, maybe I’m not making lineups in competition, whatever it may be, it helps put into perspective for us to be really, really appreciative of what we have, and to share what we have with someone like Logan and Dylan. They’ve impacted me significantly. We’re inspiring Logan through our successes and just who we are, being on the team, but I feel like maybe Logan doesn’t know it, but we can learn a thing or two from him as well.”

“When we’re all in together, we all win together.”

Team IMPACT’s story is framed by the work no one sees. It’s a labor of love, hard days, and ultimately, moments that make everything worth it. 

The profound immediate and long-term impact on the student-athletes who have participated in the program rivals anything a medal, season ranking, or championship can capture, noted Alexis Randall, Director of Annual Fund and Donor Relations for Team IMPACT. It offers a new perspective, a sense of purpose, and recognition of a different kind of resilience outside the training gym or competition venue. Team IMPACT’s vision is to create a world where every child facing serious illness and disability feels supported by something bigger, and every team is transformed by a greater purpose. Their key message is: “When we’re all in together, we all win together.”

Nicole, whom Frentheway describes as a superhero, feels this firsthand every day. “It means everything. So much of their lives they’re in the hospital,” she said. “The majority of our time is spent at appointments, whether it be therapy or doctor’s appointments. To have this partnership that we can just let them be kids—they can cheer on the team, and they can play around at the gym and just be a kid, it means so much.”

“I think the families get so much out of it, but the student-athletes also get so much out of it,” Randall said. “I know for our student-athletes—and we do some reporting back to understand the baseline of how this program is for them—I know that a lot of them feel like their mental health and well-being have improved. They’re reporting that they’re more resilient. As they become more aware of their ability to make a difference in the world, I think many of them become more civic-minded. They have a different perspective of purpose beyond the game. I think that’s why coaches, athletic directors, and programs are so excited about Team IMPACT. Yes, they get to do so much for kids and families, but they’re seeing a change in how they’re being impacted as well by the children.”

Frentheway is a perfect example. He described the sense of community he felt as part of Team IMPACT as life-changing and noted the additional benefits for anyone considering participating in the program. “As a college athlete, sometimes I felt like I was being demanded to do so many things. But that’s an important demand. You get to watch these little kids grow physically and mentally. And you get to be inspired by them. Trying to navigate life, it’s really good for student-athletes to develop a greater sense of community, and also that love for kids. I think it’s always needed. And as I said, it allows these kids to grow so much more. I feel like it also helps us more than Logan would probably ever know.”

In Champaign, Logan was not only able to be in the stands to cheer on his heroes on one of the most pressure-packed nights of their lives, but also be a special part of the entire team’s send-off heading into finals. Being thought of before the most important moment of their season speaks volumes about the Sooners and what they truly value. OU finished as runner-up in the meet, but they also won in so many other ways. And one little boy couldn’t have been happier or prouder.

“This weekend has been incredible,” Nicole told me just before finals. “I never imagined that we’d be coming out here. We get to go to the meets at home pretty frequently, but for them to invite us out and fly us out here. and put us up in a hotel, and, you know, just here a few minutes ago, they all went through the tunnel of parents, and they sent Logan through. Last night, right after they took first place, the first thing they did was come and get Logan. Things like that, where there are these big exciting moments, and they’re still thinking of him, which is just really awesome. They could easily be caught up in their own moment, but he still matters to them then.”

For More On Team IMPACT:

Team IMPACT: Revolutionizing The College Athlete Experience

With Team IMPACT matches at more than 400 NCAA institutions, this collaboration aims to change the game for student-athletes and children alike.

With 1,100 current NCAA teams matched, this collaboration allows Team IMPACT a powerful platform to expand its reach, engage broader audiences, and create new opportunities to impact families and college communities nationwide.

Together, Team IMPACT and the NCAA will ensure every child feels supported and every team able to discover a greater purpose. This joint effort will transform lives, offering strength, connection, and hope to both children and student-athletes alike.

See: https://www.teamimpact.org/

Photos: Oklahoma Men’s Gymnastics; Nicole Hughes