From University of Chicago Athletics

The University of Chicago men's soccer team took part in the first-ever College Athlete Day celebration, which was hosted in the nation's capital on Monday.

President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden extended invitations to NCAA teams from all three divisions that won National Championships during the 2022-23 academic year. The College Athlete Day recognition took place on the White House front lawn with approximately 1,000 student-athletes in attendance.

Vice President Kamala Harris and NCAA President Charlie Baker each spoke at the podium, praising the student-athletes for their accomplishments and touting the unifying force of team sports. University of Texas women's volleyball player Logan Eggleston closed out the event with a podium speech before presenting Vice President Harris with a replica NCAA championship trophy.

The University Athletic Association was well represented at the event, which included UChicago men's soccer, Carnegie Mellon University men's golf, Case Western Reserve University men's tennis and Emory University men's swimming & diving.

The Maroons brought 25 student-athletes to the event, with co-captain Griffin Wada serving as the team representative on stage during the ceremony.

"We were all very grateful for the opportunity to represent our university in a meeting of so many great champions," Wada said. "I think we all understand that very few people get invited to the White House, and to get that invitation based upon our play on the field makes it that much sweeter. It was awesome to have Vice President Harris speak to us, and hopefully this soccer program will have many more chances to visit over the coming years."