Cedar Crest High School grad Ryan Neiswender was a member of Team USA as they defeated Canada at the Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru over Labor Day weekend.
Team USA is a wheelchair basketball team with the National Wheelchair Basketball Association.
Team USA coaches said defense was the deciding factor as the men’s team won its third consecutive Parapan Gold medal. They are hoping the winning momentum keeps the team going through the next Paralympics Games in Tokyo in August 2020.
Neiswender, a 2013 CCHS grad, born with a muscular disorder in his legs, honed his athletic skills at the University of Illinois before being named to Team USA. His parents are Daryl and Peg Neiswender of Lebanon. In a photo posted to social media after the game, Neiswender celebrated with wife, Lauren, also a former University of Illinois student-athlete.
Wheelchair basketball was born in Veterans Administration hospitals after World War II. Today, the National Wheelchair Basketball Association provides qualified individuals with physical disabilities the opportunity to play, learn, and compete in the sport at the national and international level. Find out more at nwba.org.