Completed Event: Wrestling versus NCAA Championship on March 20, 2025 , , NTS
/
Final
Wrestling
vs NCAA Championship
Photo by: Duke Athletics
Trio of Blue Devils Launch the Rising Athletes Foundation
4/2/2025 8:00:00 AM | Fencing, Wrestling
DURHAM, N.C.-- What's unique about our student-athletes at Duke is not only the sheer talent and success each of them showcase in their sport and the classroom, but also their consistent demonstration of leadership and pure character. The executive board behind the Rising Athletes Foundation, a new nonprofit dedicated to empowering the next generation of student-athletes, is a perfect example of that.
"Our goal through this program is just as much about building up the person as it's about building up any individual academic or athletic results," said Zizi Newhard, a sophomore on the fencing team and secretary of the foundation.
The idea of the Rising Athletes Foundation first came about when President Connor Barket, Secretary Newhard, and Treasurer Ethan Grimminger participated in the Rubenstein-Bing Student-Athlete Civic Engagement Program (ACE) last summer. ACE gave wrestlers Barket and Grimminger and fencer Newhard the opportunity to travel to Panama with a small group of fellow Duke student-athletes. There, they ran an after-school volleyball camp for elementary school kids, using their own Duke Athletics experiences to facilitate the camp and build a sense of community.
"There was this little kid named Pedro," recalled Barket. "He was just an absolute stud. For no reason, he was just really good at volleyball. And the joke was that he was going to be a 2040 [Olympic] gold medal winner for Panama."
Meeting kids like Pedro and the entire ACE experience probed a sense of gratitude for the opportunities Duke afforded the trio, from being able to compete at the Division I level to engaging with communities through ACE in the first place.
"Even though there was a language barrier, we really cared about these kids and we had a connection," said Barket. "Just to face the reality that they don't have the same opportunities through sports like we do – a group of 12 Division I athletes who are at Duke and in Panama because of sports, doing this incredible adventure together – it kind of stunk, for a lack of a better term."
While they couldn't necessarily create those opportunities for the kids they connected with in Panama, Barket, Grimminger and Newhard desired to bring their ACE experience and the personal and team lessons they'd learned to the Durham community. Emily Durham, founder of the ACE program, encouraged them to pursue that line of thought.
"I challenged them to think about where they might use their skills and talents to address needs in the Durham community," said Durham. "Connor [Barket] immediately jumped in, 100 percent, with an idea that proved to be the very beginnings of what has now become the Rising Athletes Foundation."
Upon returning to school, the trio began working hard to define the purpose of the Rising Athletes Foundation and their next steps in making their aspirations reality.
The foundation provides tutoring, mentorship and financial support to local high school athletes who join with aspirations to take their sport to the next level. Having recently achieved nonprofit status, the executive board has been working hard to recruit Duke student-athletes to join their club, while also reaching out to local high school and club coaches about their mission.
"Besides their parents, no one cares more about these kids than their coaches," said Barket on the foundation's enrollment strategy. "These coaches are obviously very passionate – that's why they're here, coaching high school – and they want to see these kids succeed. The connection we build with them and offering the services we do, hopefully entices them to want to help the kids who need it."
Once an athlete enrolls in the Rising Athletes Foundation, they're paired with both a Duke student-athlete tutor and mentor(s) to meet with on a biweekly basis. Tutors work through homework assignments with their assigned athlete, while mentors help advise their athlete on the various steps of the recruiting process – writing emails to coaches, making highlight reels, how to approach a phone conservation and other tasks that are often overwhelming to figure out alone.
"For the most part, we're trying to pair up sport-with-sport for a better match and to make the connection more meaningful," said Grimminger on how the foundation approaches mentor-athlete pairings. "We're also trying to pair up by age group – so, if we have a sophomore mentor we want to try and pair them up with a sophomore in high school – so that way they can grow throughout their time [together] and get an actual bond and connection so they feel comfortable with each other, instead of switching mentors yearly."
For 2025, the trio hopes to acquire at least 10 athletes to mentor, while raising $15,000 in donations for aid. As an exec board, Barket, Grimminger, and Newhard have individually pledged to raise $500 each, while either mentoring or tutoring an athlete themselves.
"It's been incredible to see so many from the Panama team come together, each contributing their unique skills and talents to make the Rising Athletes Foundation a reality," commented Durham on the trio's progress. "It truly has been a team effort!"Â
Above all, Barket, Grimminger, and Newhard want to emphasize that while their foundation's focus is to provide high school athletes with the resources to support their collegiate dreams, their main goal is to cultivate character.
"We say very clearly that this is not a guarantee to get you to the next level. If you sign up for the club, this is not going to make you an NCAA athlete guaranteed," Barket emphasized. "But all of us know how much sports have played a role in our life and having opportunities to compete at an extremely high level has made us who we are and we think sports is a great avenue to grow people and build character."
"I think that the skills that you learn through practicing a sport – discipline, self-management, just hard work – it all translates to all aspects of your life," Newhard added.
The trio credits their own athletic careers to their leadership now with the Rising Athletes Foundation. For one, being a Blue Devil has opened doors to growing those skills.
"Duke has a lot of resources in terms of developing our leadership as student-athletes," Newhard acknowledged. Â "For example, none of us would be here if it weren't for the Panama experience inspiring and giving us time to reflect on our own lives and the changes we want to see in our own community."
Further, playing a sport is a teaching experience in itself.
"Wrestling has made who I am," said Barket. "You don't get to this level without truly dedicating yourself to whatever sport you do. That level of dedication to athletics has taught me and other athletes here numerous valuable life lessons."
And overall, those lessons and personal development continue to help them find success in their sports.
"I think our characters and who we have led to our success," said Grimminger. "How we are shapes our success in our sport and our sport shapes us. It's a back-and-forth relationship."
The trio hopes to foster that same growth and success they've experienced with the athletes that enroll with the Rising Athletes Foundation. Barket, Grimminger and Newhard's dedication to their mission is immensely evident in all of the work and belief they've put into it so far. Their leadership continues to define what it means to be a Blue Devil!
Interested high school athletes or donors can go to https://risingathletesfoundation.onrender.com/ to sign up or support this fantastic cause led by our incredible Blue Devils. Follow the Rising Athletes Foundation's Instagram or LinkedIn pages for continuous updates on their progress this year.
#GoDuke
Â
"Our goal through this program is just as much about building up the person as it's about building up any individual academic or athletic results," said Zizi Newhard, a sophomore on the fencing team and secretary of the foundation.
The idea of the Rising Athletes Foundation first came about when President Connor Barket, Secretary Newhard, and Treasurer Ethan Grimminger participated in the Rubenstein-Bing Student-Athlete Civic Engagement Program (ACE) last summer. ACE gave wrestlers Barket and Grimminger and fencer Newhard the opportunity to travel to Panama with a small group of fellow Duke student-athletes. There, they ran an after-school volleyball camp for elementary school kids, using their own Duke Athletics experiences to facilitate the camp and build a sense of community.
"There was this little kid named Pedro," recalled Barket. "He was just an absolute stud. For no reason, he was just really good at volleyball. And the joke was that he was going to be a 2040 [Olympic] gold medal winner for Panama."
Meeting kids like Pedro and the entire ACE experience probed a sense of gratitude for the opportunities Duke afforded the trio, from being able to compete at the Division I level to engaging with communities through ACE in the first place.
"Even though there was a language barrier, we really cared about these kids and we had a connection," said Barket. "Just to face the reality that they don't have the same opportunities through sports like we do – a group of 12 Division I athletes who are at Duke and in Panama because of sports, doing this incredible adventure together – it kind of stunk, for a lack of a better term."
While they couldn't necessarily create those opportunities for the kids they connected with in Panama, Barket, Grimminger and Newhard desired to bring their ACE experience and the personal and team lessons they'd learned to the Durham community. Emily Durham, founder of the ACE program, encouraged them to pursue that line of thought.
"I challenged them to think about where they might use their skills and talents to address needs in the Durham community," said Durham. "Connor [Barket] immediately jumped in, 100 percent, with an idea that proved to be the very beginnings of what has now become the Rising Athletes Foundation."
Upon returning to school, the trio began working hard to define the purpose of the Rising Athletes Foundation and their next steps in making their aspirations reality.
The foundation provides tutoring, mentorship and financial support to local high school athletes who join with aspirations to take their sport to the next level. Having recently achieved nonprofit status, the executive board has been working hard to recruit Duke student-athletes to join their club, while also reaching out to local high school and club coaches about their mission.
"Besides their parents, no one cares more about these kids than their coaches," said Barket on the foundation's enrollment strategy. "These coaches are obviously very passionate – that's why they're here, coaching high school – and they want to see these kids succeed. The connection we build with them and offering the services we do, hopefully entices them to want to help the kids who need it."
Once an athlete enrolls in the Rising Athletes Foundation, they're paired with both a Duke student-athlete tutor and mentor(s) to meet with on a biweekly basis. Tutors work through homework assignments with their assigned athlete, while mentors help advise their athlete on the various steps of the recruiting process – writing emails to coaches, making highlight reels, how to approach a phone conservation and other tasks that are often overwhelming to figure out alone.
"For the most part, we're trying to pair up sport-with-sport for a better match and to make the connection more meaningful," said Grimminger on how the foundation approaches mentor-athlete pairings. "We're also trying to pair up by age group – so, if we have a sophomore mentor we want to try and pair them up with a sophomore in high school – so that way they can grow throughout their time [together] and get an actual bond and connection so they feel comfortable with each other, instead of switching mentors yearly."
For 2025, the trio hopes to acquire at least 10 athletes to mentor, while raising $15,000 in donations for aid. As an exec board, Barket, Grimminger, and Newhard have individually pledged to raise $500 each, while either mentoring or tutoring an athlete themselves.
"It's been incredible to see so many from the Panama team come together, each contributing their unique skills and talents to make the Rising Athletes Foundation a reality," commented Durham on the trio's progress. "It truly has been a team effort!"Â
Above all, Barket, Grimminger, and Newhard want to emphasize that while their foundation's focus is to provide high school athletes with the resources to support their collegiate dreams, their main goal is to cultivate character.
"We say very clearly that this is not a guarantee to get you to the next level. If you sign up for the club, this is not going to make you an NCAA athlete guaranteed," Barket emphasized. "But all of us know how much sports have played a role in our life and having opportunities to compete at an extremely high level has made us who we are and we think sports is a great avenue to grow people and build character."
"I think that the skills that you learn through practicing a sport – discipline, self-management, just hard work – it all translates to all aspects of your life," Newhard added.
The trio credits their own athletic careers to their leadership now with the Rising Athletes Foundation. For one, being a Blue Devil has opened doors to growing those skills.
"Duke has a lot of resources in terms of developing our leadership as student-athletes," Newhard acknowledged. Â "For example, none of us would be here if it weren't for the Panama experience inspiring and giving us time to reflect on our own lives and the changes we want to see in our own community."
Further, playing a sport is a teaching experience in itself.
"Wrestling has made who I am," said Barket. "You don't get to this level without truly dedicating yourself to whatever sport you do. That level of dedication to athletics has taught me and other athletes here numerous valuable life lessons."
And overall, those lessons and personal development continue to help them find success in their sports.
"I think our characters and who we have led to our success," said Grimminger. "How we are shapes our success in our sport and our sport shapes us. It's a back-and-forth relationship."
The trio hopes to foster that same growth and success they've experienced with the athletes that enroll with the Rising Athletes Foundation. Barket, Grimminger and Newhard's dedication to their mission is immensely evident in all of the work and belief they've put into it so far. Their leadership continues to define what it means to be a Blue Devil!
Interested high school athletes or donors can go to https://risingathletesfoundation.onrender.com/ to sign up or support this fantastic cause led by our incredible Blue Devils. Follow the Rising Athletes Foundation's Instagram or LinkedIn pages for continuous updates on their progress this year.
#GoDuke
Â
Players Mentioned
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Monday, March 10
Season Opener Video
Friday, November 01
Duke Athletics: A Tour of Campus
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Welcome to Duke
Saturday, October 19
