AMHERST, N.Y. - Daemen College Head Men's Volleyball Coach Don Gleason announced the addition of a special member to the program as 13-year old William Lucas of Tonawanda, N.Y. was formally introduced in a brief ceremony tonight during the team's final Blue-White Scrimmage of the season.

William comes to Daemen through a partnership with Team IMPACT, a non-profit organization that aims to improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses. Core to their model is harnessing the power of teamwork by matching these courageous kids with college athletic teams. Team IMPACT children are drafted onto local college athletic teams and, to the greatest extent possible, become an official member of the team for the duration of their treatment and beyond.

"We are thrilled to officially welcome William to our program," said Gleason. "When we first learned about the opportunity to partner with Team IMPACT, our team was all in. Even though the pandemic has limited our ability to interact with William face to face, we've been able to do some things virtually and it's easy to see that he's a kid with a huge personality. As we see the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, now felt like the right opportunity to get William on campus for the first time, have him sign his letter of intent and fully welcome him as the next great Wildcat." 

Learn more about Team IMPACT at goteamimpact.org.

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

Support Daemen College's return to intercollegiate athletic competitions by making a contribution to the Game On Campaign and the Daemen Wildcats Gotta Play Fund. This comprehensive fundraising campaign was established to help offset the loss of valuable external revenue streams that directly support Daemen's 17 varsity teams. To learn more, visit daemenwildcats.com/gameon.