The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games wrapped up last week in Minneapolis, and Team Virginia came home with a 41-medal finish: 10 Gold, 12 Silver, and 19 Bronze, presented by FanDuel. The Games drew more than 100,000 athletes, coaches, volunteers, and fans across venues throughout the Twin Cities, including the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis and the National Sports Center in Blaine.
On the track, Dymontrie Hopkins won Gold in the 100m. Conner Emmert earned Bronze in the same event. Conner's road to Minneapolis was the subject of Conner's World, a Special Olympics Virginia documentary that followed his preparation for the Games and premiered to a sold-out crowd in April. You can watch it at specialolympicsva.org/News/conners-world. In the Pentathlon, Eddy Sandoval and Shon Gore each earned Bronze in their respective divisions. Unified Athletics took Gold in the overall event.
In the pool, Akhilesh Savand earned Bronze in the 100m individual medley. Megan Shepard took Bronze in both the 100m butterfly and the medley. Heather Becraft won Bronze in the 25-yard freestyle. Tyler Bernreuther finished 5th in the 100m.
At the lanes, Travis Hunter earned Silver in bowling. The Unified Bowling team also brought home Silver, while the traditional team took Bronze.
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Conner Emmert makes Sportscenter Debut
On the bocce courts, the Unified team defeated Maryland to claim Gold. The volleyball team reached the Silver medal match before falling to Wisconsin in a tight third set, 11-15. The flag football team finished 6th overall, going up against some of the top programs in the country throughout the week before falling short of the podium. In powerlifting, William Blakey competed in four events and finished 4th across the board.
In golf, Ashley Bruno won Bronze in skills. Joseph and Michael Long took Silver in the Unified Level 2 alternate shot event.
Pickleball was one of Team Virginia's stronger events of the week. CJ Gallagher and Dominick Powell won Gold in traditional pairs, then both athletes earned individual medals competing alongside their Unified partners: Gallagher with Robert Luk and Powell with Keith Walker, picking up Gold and Silver in those events.