Maddie Lawlor Wins National Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State field hockey student-athlete Maddie Lawlor has been selected as the national female recipient of the 2026 Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award presented by Discover. She was announced as the winner Monday evening by Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti at the Spartan Academic Excellence Gala, joining Indiana’s Tyler Lillard as this year’s national honorees from a pool of 36 distinguished student-athletes representing all 18 conference institutions.

“It is a great honor to present this award in Jackie Robinson’s name to these extraordinary Big Ten student-athletes,” said Petitti, “and to express our sincere appreciation for the ongoing support of the Jackie Robinson Foundation.”

Lawlor was selected due to her multi-year involvement with Be The Match (now known as the National Marrow Donor Program) and her selfless journey to becoming a donor herself. During her time in East Lansing, Lawlor and the Michigan State field hockey program have led day-long bone marrow registration drives on campus each year. The events are all coordinated, promoted and worked by members of the MSU field hockey team.

Through the National Bone Marrow Registry, Lawlor became a rare match for a patient in need in 2024. Without hesitation, she agreed to start the extensive and invasive process and ultimately donated her bone marrow to help save someone's life.

A team captain, Lawlor finished among the Spartans leaders in goals and points - while starting all 36 games - over the last two seasons after missing the entire 2023 campaign due to injury. Off the field, the Shamong, New Jersey, native was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree during her career.

Now in its second year, the Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award was established in 2025 to recognize student-athletes at Big Ten institutions who strive to have a positive impact not only in their chosen sport, but also within their community. Lillard was announced as the national male recipient last month before a practice in Bloomington by Petitti, Indiana President Pamela Whitten and Hoosiers Athletic Director Scott Dolson, surrounded by teammates and coaches.

As a child, Tyler was diagnosed with epilepsy and, at the age of nine, doctors discovered a brain tumor on his optic nerve that would dramatically reduce his vision. Along with his mother, Tina, who surprised him during the award presentation, he created the Team Tyler Epilepsy Foundation to aid families with children in the hospital. He is active in mentoring young wrestlers, as well as with organizations such as Read Across America and Recess Buddies.

Jackie Robinson was a standout student-athlete at UCLA, where he was the school’s first four-sport letter winner, excelling in football, basketball, track and field, and baseball. Beyond his athletic prowess, he continues to be recognized and honored for his contributions off the field: integrating Major League Baseball and his lifelong commitment to social justice.

Honorees were selected based on the following criteria:

• Demonstrated Impact: Significant and tangible contributions to community projects or causes, including measurable outcomes or positive changes resulting from their involvement.
• Collaboration and Teamwork: Ability to work effectively with others, including peers, organizations, and community members, to achieve common goals and enhance community impact.
• Consistency and Commitment: Ongoing and consistent participation in community service activities over an extended period of time.
• Visibility and Advocacy: Efforts to raise awareness and advocate for important groups or causes, leveraging their platform to promote positive change and engage others.

As part of the program, presenting sponsor Discover delivered custom letterman jackets to all 36 institutional winners of the 2025-26 Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award. Each university’s male and female honoree will receive a customized, one-of-one gift featuring unique school elements and visuals. The first two custom jackets were presented in December at the Discover Big Ten Football Championship Game to 2025 national winners Dillon Fontus, from Maryland football, and Iowa wrestler Nanea Estrella.

In recognition of their achievement and as an expression of the conference’s appreciation, each of the 36 campus winners also receive a medal bearing the likeness of Jackie Robinson and the logo of the Big Ten Conference in addition to their custom jacket.

The Big Ten Conference’s commitment to athletics, academics and service goes back to the conference’s founding. Coupling the academic goals set forth by leaders of the charter members of the conference with their steadfast commitment to athletics, the conference instituted the Big Ten Medal of Honor in 1915, the first award to demonstrate support for the educational emphasis placed on intercollegiate athletics. It is awarded annually by each member institution to one male and one female student of the graduating class who has attained the greatest proficiency in scholarship and athletics.

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