EWU to wind down adaptive athletics program

Eastern Washington University has made the difficult decision to discontinue its adaptive athletics program at the conclusion of the 2025-26 season.

The men’s wheelchair basketball team is expected to compete in its remaining games, with its final tournament being the 2026 National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball National Championships, in Tucson, Arizona, in early April.

Founded in 2019 as the first Intercollegiate National Wheelchair Basketball Association-sanctioned team in the Northwest, the EWU wheelchair basketball team was funded by grants and donations initially. Since the bulk of those sources ended, the EWU College of Health Science and Public Health has supported the team’s operations.

Wheelchair basketball presently is the only athletic program at EWU funded by an academic college. All others either fall under the purview of the EWU Athletics or are classified as club sports.

“This decision reflects long-term sustainability challenges in a budget-tightening environment,” says Dawn Lewis-Kinnunen, dean of the College of Health Science and Public Health. “This tough choice is in no way a statement on the value and talent of our adaptive student-athletes, whom we remain committed to supporting during their academic careers at EWU.”

Health Science plans to use monies remaining in the adaptive athletics program budget to provide scholarships to those student-athletes who choose to continue their education at EWU.

“We recognize that adaptive athletics represents far more than competition,” Lewis-Kinnunen said. “It’s about access, community, and belonging. We appreciate the coaches and players who have raised the visibility of the sport during their tenure at EWU.”