A Stark County native is one of several athletes with the chance to participate in the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation Women's U25 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship.
The National Wheelchair Basketball Association and the U25 Team Selection Committee picked Jackson High School graduate Abigail LaPole for their initial 20-player roster.
LaPole, a freshman at the University of Texas-Arlington, previously played for the NWBA Junior Division's ASO Cavaliers and earned Varsity Invitational Tournament MVP honors in 2025. She is one of three UTA basketball players to make the roster.
"Quinn (Meyer), Abby and Caroline (Fitzpatrick) making the initial roster is a testament to the hard work and dedication that they give to the sport of wheelchair basketball," UTA head women's wheelchair basketball coach John McPhail said in a UTA news release. "I'm excited to see them continue to develop and build on this opportunity throughout the rest of the semester and into the final selection camp in December. I know they will leave no stone unturned in pursuit of their goal of representing Team USA."
LaPole has made headlines before as a star athlete at Jackson, winning three OHSAA state championships in seated shot put. Her senior year, she led the Polar Bears' wheelchair basketball team in scoring, averaging 16 points a game. The team lost in the 2025 state championship game to the Tallmadge Blue Devils.
She was selected to the initial Team USA roster after participating in a tryout camp on Oct. 15–19 at the Lakeshore Foundation in Birmingham, Alabama.
The 20 athletes will be invited to the selection camp from Dec. 13-17 at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. That group will be cut down to 12 for the 2027 U.S. Women’s U25 Wheelchair Basketball Team.
The 12 will compete in the IWBF championships from June 11–17, 2027, in São Paulo, Brazil. The championships are held every four years; the United States won the last competition in 2023.
Reach Aaron at 330-580-8428 or ahhughes@usatodayco.com. On X: @AaronHughe2
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Jackson grad Abigail LaPole takes next step toward Team USA