The Irish swim and dive community continues to make a great impact both in and out of the pool. This week, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced senior Cason Wilburn as the male Notre Dame recipient of the 2022 ACC UNITE Award, which was created to honor individuals affiliated with the league who have made an impact in the racial and social justice areas.
The UNITE Award is presented annually to individuals who:
- Best exemplify ACC CORE’s mission to promote and encourage racial equity and social justice through education, partnerships, engagement and advocacy
- Have helped create meaningful, lasting change by improving systems, organizational structures, policies, practices and attitudes
- Have been a pioneer and/or helped pave the way for minorities either at the institution or in the community
Two honorees from each ACC institution are chosen annually based on the above criteria. The female recipient of the award from Notre Dame is Karen & Kevin Keyes Family Head Women’s Basketball Coach Niele Ivey.
“We are proud to honor the ACC UNITE Award winners who have made significant contributions in the areas of racial and social justice,” ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D., said. “These 30 individuals are true pioneers who inspire us with their contributions to a more diverse and equal society. As a conference we will remain steadfast in our pursuit of racial and social justice, while assisting our student-athletes and institutions with programs that can affect change.”
Wilburn’s chosen cause is near to his heart.
“Growing up, I was pretty much always the only Black swimmer, so I wanted to try to amend that and bring more attention to it,” Wilburn said. “I wanted to fix the gap in swimming, not just at a competitive level but on a leisure level as well. Even when you go to the pool to play, you rarely see minorities. I’m only one person, but I’m trying to do my part to fix that.”
Last year, in conjunction with Notre Dame’s GLD Center, Wilburn turned his goals into reality in the form of swim lessons for local middle schoolers at Navarre and Dickinson. For four weeks in the spring, Wilburn and several teammates taught lessons to the children using the nearby Washington High School pool. In addition to the time in the water, the Irish swimmers preached leadership qualities and skills that are applicable across all sports and aspects of life. They always ended with a fun, confidence-boosting activity for the sixth and seventh graders.
Wilburn is enrolled in the College of Engineering and hails from Chesapeake, Va.