Two years after a cardiac arrest nearly ended her athletic career, Alivia Henkel is a national champion and North Central College's top female scholar-athlete.
NCC announced Monday, June 30, that Henkel and baseball outfielder Parker Wyatt earned the Jack Swartz Academic All-Conference Award for the 2026 spring season, the highest academic-athletic honor given by the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. The award requires a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher.
Henkel, a sophomore applied chemistry major, won the NCAA Division III national championship in the 400-meter hurdles on Saturday, May 23, at Veterans Memorial Stadium in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She entered as the No. 7 seed and ran 58.65 seconds, a program record, a CCIW record, and the fifth-fastest time in Division III history.
She pulled away by five meters on the final straightaway.
"Getting over those last two hurdles, I couldn't believe it," Henkel told Shaw Local News Network. "I just told myself to run as fast as I could. I was so nervous I was going to die at the end, but I kept going."
In February 2024, Henkel collapsed from cardiac arrest at Rochelle Township High School. Doctors at Loyola University Medical Center implanted a defibrillator. She lost her senior basketball and track seasons. A second cardiac episode in October 2024 triggered the device again.
NCC hurdles coach Steve Wiesbrook said he never imagined Henkel taking almost 1.5 seconds off her preliminary time, calling her journey "incredibly inspiring, especially for anyone that has to deal with setbacks."
Wyatt, a junior finance major from Shorewood, Wisconsin, hit .369 with 59 hits, 17 doubles, eight home runs, and 58 RBIs across 40 games. He posted a 1.112 OPS, earned First Team All-CCIW honors and two All-Region selections, and recorded at least one hit in 31 of 40 contests.
Across nine spring sports, NCC (310 E. Benton Ave.) earned 119 total Academic All-CCIW selections.
Henkel plans to attend medical school with a focus on cardiology.
This week in Naperville sports
- Saturday, July 4 — Naperville Community Fireworks Show at Frontier Sports Complex (3380 Cedar Glade Dr.). Naperville Municipal Band concert at 7:30 p.m., fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Free admission and parking.
- Wednesday, July 9 – Friday, July 11 — Chicago Fire Youth Soccer Boys Goalkeeper Camp (commuter option) at North Central College (310 E. Benton Ave.).
- Friday, July 11 – Saturday, July 19 — Unplug NPD: Visit three or more featured Naperville Park District parks to enter for a $25 gift card. Details at napervilleparks.org.
