IRVING, Texas – Through the Big 12 relationship with Special Olympics, first-year Big 12 Conference corporate partner Academy Sports + Outdoors recognizes Kathryn Albertini and Tony Trojcak for their extraordinary participation and leadership with Special Olympics Texas. Albertini and Trojcak will receive VIP treatment from Academy Sports + Outdoors as each will receive a $1,000 shopping spree at Academy.
Albertini has been a Special Olympics athlete since she was eight years old. She is a graduate of Carroll Senior High, attended TCC for several years and works at Market Street in Colleyville. Over her years of competing, she has won gold medals in the 800-meter run and been a Special Olympics athlete in bocce, volleyball, bowling, athletics, horseback riding, swimming, basketball and tennis. She is a member of the Athlete Leadership Program, as well as a Global Messenger. Albertini has previously been honored as Female Athlete of the Year for not only Area 11, but the entire state of Texas.
Trojcak is an Area 11 Special Olympics Texas athlete who has competed for 24 years. While attending Colleyville Heritage High School, Trojcak started participating in Special Olympics. He is a member of the Athlete Leadership Program and a Global Messenger for Special Olympics Texas. He was awarded the 2002 Area 11 Male Athlete of the Year, and in 2016, he and his family were recognized as the Family of the Year. Trojcak, a member of the Knights of Columbus, is part of the HEB Special Friend delegation and the Smooth Swing Golf team. In 2018, he was presented the Chic O’Conner award due to his volunteer efforts.
“We’re proud of our longstanding relationship with Special Olympics,” said Dayna Scherf, Big 12 Executive Associate Commissioner for Championships. “It’s an honor for us to showcase Special Olympic athletes and their many accomplishments. Kathryn and Tony are wonderful examples of the incredible spirit shared among all athletes and the important role sports can play in life.”
According to Tim Martin, CEO of Special Olympics Texas, “Our Big 12 connection presents such a privilege for our athletes year after year. We appreciate all that the Conference and Academy Sports + Outdoors are doing this year to honor Kathryn and Tony, both well-deserving SOTX athletes, in what has been a most unusual year for us all.”
The relationship between the Big 12 and Academy Sports + Outdoors is overseen by Big 12 Sports Properties, the Learfield IMG College team dedicated to the Conference as its sponsorship rights holder.
About Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is comprised of 10 Universities – Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech and West Virginia. The Big 12 is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics conference that encompasses five states with over 40 million people within its geographic footprint. In its 25th year, the Conference has produced over 700 Academic All-America selections and claimed national championship team titles in 17 of its 23 sponsored sports. Its student-athletes and teams have combined for over 689 individual NCAA titles and 63 team national championships. Nearly 5,000 student-athletes from across the United States and around the World compete annually under the Big 12 banner. For more information, visit Big12Sports.com and follow the Conference on Facebook (Facebook.com/Big12), Twitter (@Big12Conference) and YouTube (YouTube.com/Big12Conference).
About Special Olympics Texas
Special Olympics Texas (SOTX) provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. Special Olympics Texas is divided into four regions, and is a year-round movement, with over 300 competitions annually across the state. For more information, please visit us at www.sotx.org and follow us on Facebook (Facebook.com/specialolympicstx), Instagram (@specialolympicstx), Twitter (@SOTexas), and YouTube (YouTube.com/specialolympicstexas).
About Academy
Academy is a leading full-line sporting goods and outdoor recreation retailer in the United States. Originally founded in 1938 as a family business in Texas, Academy has grown to 259 stores across 16 contiguous states. Academy’s mission is to provide “Fun for All” and Academy fulfills this mission with a localized merchandising strategy and value proposition that strongly connects with a broad range of consumers. Academy’s product assortment focuses on key categories of outdoor, apparel, footwear and sports & recreation through both leading national brands and a portfolio of 17 private label brands, which go well beyond traditional sporting goods and apparel offerings. For more information, visit academy.com.