Turnstone Wheelchair Basketball Alumni Represent University of Texas Arlington in National Championship

FORT WAYNE, IN (April 28, 2021) – Northeast Indiana natives, Alex “AJ” Hummer, Issac Hummer, and Angelina “Nina” Welfle, have taken their basketball skills to the national stage as members of the University of Texas Arlington (UTA) men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball teams, respectively. The three Turnstone wheelchair basketball alumni traveled with UTA to Alabama for the 2021 Toyota National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament.

The UTA men’s team won their ninth NWBA championship, defeating Alabama 66-51. The women’s team came one win short of a national title, taking runner up to Alabama 67-53.

AJ and Issac Hummer are both juniors at UTA and are originally from Waterloo, IN and both brothers graduated from DeKalb High School. AJ discovered wheelchair basketball as an 8-year-old when he was receiving therapy at Turnstone. His twin brother, Isaac, joined him on the team when they were 15 years old.

The UTA men’s team was set to play in the championship last year, but lost the opportunity due to COVID-19. The Hummer twins were excited to live out a childhood dream and compete with the university in a championship game this year.

“To be the ninth national champs at UTA puts us in quite a special place in the history books of this program,” said AJ. “There have been tons of legends who have come through this program to make it what it is today, and maybe someday future athletes will look back on our team and say that about us.”

Nina Welfle, a senior on the UTA women’s team, also started playing wheelchair basketball at Turnstone when she was 8-years- old. Her accomplishments also include helping lead UTA to a national championship in 2018 and helping Team USA U25 win a gold medal in Thailand in 2019. Welfle is currently training with Team USA in hopes of representing her country in the Paralympics this summer.

Turnstone is proud to be a starting point for many collegiate and professional athletes. As one of 11 Olympic and Paralympic Training Sites, Turnstone is committed to supporting the Paralympic movement and providing programs and opportunities for athletes to hone their skills and further their athletic goals.