More than 100 athletes, Unified partners, coaches and support staff have been selected to represent Indiana at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games on June 20-26, 2026, in Minneapolis.
The USA Games include 16 sports with Team Indiana competing in 10: basketball, bocce, bowling, cornhole, flag football, golf, powerlifting, soccer, swimming and track and field.
“Congratulations to all of the Team Indiana members, and good luck at the 2026 USA Games in Minnesota,” said Katie Hilt, Team Indiana Head of Delegation and Special Olympics Indiana Director of Sports and Competition. “We look forward to competing on a national stage and showing the country all of the talented Special Olympics athletes who call Indiana home.”
Team Indiana will hold multiple training camps during the leadup to the USA Games. The initial training camp is July 25-27 at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
The USA Games unite more than 4,000 athletes, coaches, volunteers and fans from all 50 states and the Caribbean.
Special Olympics Indiana uses sports, health, education and leadership programs to empower more than 19,000 Indiana adults and children with intellectual disabilities. Using sports as a catalyst for social change, Special Olympics highlights the abilities of people with intellectual disabilities while breaking down misperceptions and negative attitudes.
Athletes and Unified partners named to Team Indiana include:
Sport Athlete Unified partner County Program
Basketball Allen Flack Boone
Basketball Ryan Hale Boone
Basketball Alec Hurtubise Boone
Basketball Anthony Saks Boone
Basketball Chris Thompson Boone
Basketball Drew Batts Boone
Basketball Jason Dennis Boone
Basketball Shaun Hitch Boone
Basketball Shane Hitch Boone
Basketball Alexander Jackson Boone
Soccer Elliott Miller Boone
Soccer Jonathan Snider Hamilton
Track/Field Blake Buckner Hamilton
NOTE: Unified partners are individuals without an intellectual disability. Athletes and Unified partners listed side by side will compete as partners during an event. Athletes and Unified partners who appear on separate lines within a single sport compete as part of a team.
Coaches include:
Basketball: Francis Hurtubise and Tim Noffke, Boone County
Bocce: Heidi Bowman, Jay County
Cornhole: Thomas Kemper, Delaware County; Ashley Current, Jay County
Flag Football: Josh Elizondo, John Clay Sexton and Kurt Youngdale, Madison County
Golf: Kirk Hazelett, Allen County
Powerlifting: Shane Leisure, Madison County
Soccer: Rob Allen, DeKalb County; Andy Hunnicutt, Bartholomew-Brown-Jennings County
Swimming: Tori Gregory, Montgomery-Parke County; Mark Madden, Johnson County
Track and Field: Jeff Bluethmann, Hancock County; Dominic Lancia, Allen County; Renee Parks, Barthomew-Brown-Jennings County
Support staff includes:
Head of Delegation: Katie Hilt, Special Olympics Indiana state office
Assistant Head of Delegation: Kevin Aders, Special Olympics Indiana state office
Equipment Manager: Brad Elrich, Hamilton County
Family Coordinator: Rose Teriski, Dubois County
Training Coordinator: Ella Boyd-Strimple, Special Olympics Indiana state office
Medical Coordinator: Stef Morgan, Tippecanoe County
Development and Public Relations: Kelly Ries, Special Olympics Indiana state office
Public Relations/Media Coordinators: Melony Salla, Benton County; Zach Spicer, Jackson County
About Special Olympics Indiana
Special Olympics Indiana is a nonprofit organization that is part of the global Special Olympics movement, created by the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation for the benefit of persons with intellectual disabilities. Its vision is an inclusive world, driven by the power of sport, through which people with intellectual disabilities live active, healthy, and fulfilling lives.