(KIWA Staff Photo)
Sheldon, Iowa — The Village Panthers, a Special Olympics team comprised of athletes served by Village Northwest Unlimited, took home the bronze medal in traditional volleyball at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games while representing Team Iowa.
From June 22nd through the 25th, nine Panther athletes competed alongside more than 4,500 athletes and coaches from all 50 states at one of Special Olympics’ highest levels of competition.
Representing the team were Isabel Back, Keyanna Brower, Dan De Boer, Allison Ernst, Colby Huffman, Travis Klein, John List, Scott Wheeler and Charles White. They were led by coaches Deb Middle, Sara Wolthuizen, and Mindy Liechti.
Middle says qualifying for the USA games was an incredible accomplishment, and the team showed resilience all week long while continuously encouraging one another — the kind of teamwork she believes makes this group so special.
The Panthers competed at the 3M Arena at Mariucci on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. They faced strong national competition, including matches against Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Missouri, Alabama and Texas. Team Iowa battled hard throughout the tournament, with several matches ending 0-2 against top teams in their division.
Wolthuizen says the Panthers made the Village and the state proud with their hard work and sportsmanship, noting that months of training went into preparing for the USA Games and that it was fun to watch them compete together on a national stage.
About Village Northwest Unlimited
Village Northwest Unlimited is nationally recognized as one of the premier providers of services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, and traumatic brain injuries. Village Northwest Unlimited builds successful lives for 156 individuals by providing opportunities in residential, vocational, and social programs while fulfilling its mission of providing purpose, privacy, and dignity for all people. To learn more, go to villagenorthwest.org.
