Michigan State University Athletics
Photo by: Matthew Mitchell Photography
Maddie Lawlor Named Recipient of National Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award
4/13/2026 8:10:00 PM | General, Field Hockey
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State field hockey graduate Maddie Lawlor has been named the national female recipient of the 2026 Big Ten Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award presented by Discover. She was announced as the winner on Monday night by Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti at the Spartan Academic Excellence Gala.
Lawlor was chosen as the national recipient from a pool of 18 institutional winners throughout the Big Ten Conference. She was named Michigan State's female recipient in November.
"Maddie Lawlor is truly a worthy recipient of the Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award," said MSU Vice President and Director of Athletics J Batt. "There's no greater impact an individual can have than the life-saving decision Maddie made to be a bone marrow donor herself. Her leadership and selfless actions have improved countless lives, while providing the ultimate example of what it means to be a role model. Maddie is a great representative of Michigan State University and Spartan Athletics, and we are incredibly proud of her."
Lawlor was selected as Michigan State's female recipient due to her multi-year involvement with Be The Match, now known as the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), and her selfless journey to becoming a bone marrow donor herself.
The NMDP is a global nonprofit leader in blood stem cell and bone marrow transplants, advancing research and cell therapies to give patients life-saving care.
During her time at Michigan State, Lawlor and the MSU field hockey program led multiple day-long bone marrow registration drives on campus, coordinating, promoting and working the event each year. Through registering herself, Lawlor became a rare match for a patient in need of a transplant.
With zero hesitation, Lawlor agreed to start the extensive and invasive process, ultimately donating her bone marrow to help save a life in 2024.
"It was really important for me to go through the whole process from start to finish because as an athlete you don't really give up on things and this was just one example of something I didn't want to give up on," said Lawlor. "It was someone's life on the line, and if I'm able to save someone's life, regardless of the situation, I feel like it would be silly not to do that."
On the field, Lawlor was a five-year member of the Michigan State field hockey program and served as team captain in 2025. Appearing in 77 games and making 65 starts throughout her career, Lawlor was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and a two-time National Field Hockey Coaches Association national academic squad member.
Indiana wrestling's Tyler Lillard joins Lawlor as the male recipient of the award.
About the Big Ten Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award
The Big Ten Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award presented by Discover 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. 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, however, he is recognized and honored for his contributions off the field: integrating Major League Baseball and his lifelong commitment to social justice. He is the embodiment of the Big Ten's mission to develop strong student leaders, and we honor his legacy and core values of courage, determination, teamwork, persistence, integrity, citizenship, justice, commitment, and excellence. As Jackie famously said, "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."
Each Big Ten member-institution nominated two student-athletes, one male and one female, from their respective schools. The Big Ten Conference selects two national winners from the 36 nominations each year. Student-athletes were nominated based on the following criteria:
Lawlor was chosen as the national recipient from a pool of 18 institutional winners throughout the Big Ten Conference. She was named Michigan State's female recipient in November.
"Maddie Lawlor is truly a worthy recipient of the Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award," said MSU Vice President and Director of Athletics J Batt. "There's no greater impact an individual can have than the life-saving decision Maddie made to be a bone marrow donor herself. Her leadership and selfless actions have improved countless lives, while providing the ultimate example of what it means to be a role model. Maddie is a great representative of Michigan State University and Spartan Athletics, and we are incredibly proud of her."
Lawlor was selected as Michigan State's female recipient due to her multi-year involvement with Be The Match, now known as the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), and her selfless journey to becoming a bone marrow donor herself.
The NMDP is a global nonprofit leader in blood stem cell and bone marrow transplants, advancing research and cell therapies to give patients life-saving care.
During her time at Michigan State, Lawlor and the MSU field hockey program led multiple day-long bone marrow registration drives on campus, coordinating, promoting and working the event each year. Through registering herself, Lawlor became a rare match for a patient in need of a transplant.
With zero hesitation, Lawlor agreed to start the extensive and invasive process, ultimately donating her bone marrow to help save a life in 2024.
"It was really important for me to go through the whole process from start to finish because as an athlete you don't really give up on things and this was just one example of something I didn't want to give up on," said Lawlor. "It was someone's life on the line, and if I'm able to save someone's life, regardless of the situation, I feel like it would be silly not to do that."
On the field, Lawlor was a five-year member of the Michigan State field hockey program and served as team captain in 2025. Appearing in 77 games and making 65 starts throughout her career, Lawlor was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and a two-time National Field Hockey Coaches Association national academic squad member.
Indiana wrestling's Tyler Lillard joins Lawlor as the male recipient of the award.
About the Big Ten Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award
The Big Ten Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award presented by Discover 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. 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, however, he is recognized and honored for his contributions off the field: integrating Major League Baseball and his lifelong commitment to social justice. He is the embodiment of the Big Ten's mission to develop strong student leaders, and we honor his legacy and core values of courage, determination, teamwork, persistence, integrity, citizenship, justice, commitment, and excellence. As Jackie famously said, "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."
Each Big Ten member-institution nominated two student-athletes, one male and one female, from their respective schools. The Big Ten Conference selects two national winners from the 36 nominations each year. Student-athletes were nominated 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.
Players Mentioned
M
/ Field HockeyGreg and Dawn Williams Make Historic $401M Commitment to Michigan State and Spartan Athletics | Dec 5th 2025
Friday, December 05
2025 Varsity S Awards
Monday, September 15
2025 Hall of Fame - Caroline Powers Induction
Monday, September 15
2025 Hall of Fame - Kori Moster Induction
Monday, September 15