IDEAL alumni medal at 2026 Special Olympics USA games

IDEAL alumni medal at 2026 Special Olympics USA games

Kim Chaudoin | 08/21/2026

This summer, two Lipscomb University Igniting the Dream of Education and Access at Lipscomb (IDEAL) program alumni had the unique opportunity to represent Tennessee on a national stage at the 2026 Special Olympics USA games in Minnesota. Both came home with medals and memories to last a lifetime.

Carter Cottrell earned bronze in the golf competition, while Jaden Cole helped his basketball team capture gold. This achievement capped years of practice and competition for both athletes.

Held June 20-26 at various venues across Minneapolis, the 2026 Special Olympics USA games take place every four years. This year's event brought together nearly 3,000 athletes from all 50 states to compete in 16 team and individual sports.

Family golf tradition

For Cottrell, the national competition was the latest chapter in a relationship with golf that began when he was about 6 years old. Cottrell said he largely taught himself to play and later competed on the golf team at McGavock High School.

Golf is a family tradition for Cottrell, who completed the IDEAL program in 2025. His grandfather, Mike Eller, owns Hermitage Golf Course in Old Hickory, Tennessee, where Cottrell has spent countless hours around the game. Eller, a PGA professional whose career in golf began in 1976, was selected as a 2026 inductee into the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame. He helped found Hermitage Golf Course and has held numerous leadership roles in the Tennessee golf community during a career spanning nearly five decades.

Cottrell has competed with Special Olympics Tennessee for about four years and also participates in the organization's basketball and flag football programs. This summer, however, golf took him to one of the biggest competitions of his athletic career as a member of the Special Olympics Tennessee team representing the state at the national games.

Finishing with a bronze medal was a moment he will not soon forget.

"It felt really good," said Cottrell, recalling the anticipation of waiting for the medal ceremony and listening for his name to be called.

The significance of his performance on the national stage was still sinking in when he talked about the experience.

"It was crazy," he said with a smile.

Cottrell's love of golf is about more than competition. When asked what he enjoys most about golf, his answer was simple.

"I love nature," he said.

Back home in Nashville, Cottrell now works at Nissan Stadium, where he said he does "a lot of different things." He plans to continue competing locally and in Special Olympics Tennessee events as he looks toward another possible appearance at the Special Olympics USA games.

Teamwork leads to gold

Cole's path to the national medal podium began on a basketball court.

A native of Jackson, Tennessee, Cole began playing Special Olympics basketball in January 2020. He had played basketball for fun growing up, but had not competed on an organized team before joining Special Olympics programs. Six years later, he found himself representing Tennessee at the Special Olympics USA games as a shooting guard.

Cole and Team Tennessee went undefeated on their way to the national championship and a gold medal.

"My team and I are undefeated, won a national championship and got a gold medal," said Cole.

When asked how it felt to be a national champion, Cole summed it up like this: "It feels pumped."

Special Olympics Tennessee also highlighted Cole following the Games, noting that he and his Unified partner, Nathan Clayton, helped their team capture gold after multiple wins. Cole told the organization that some of his favorite parts of the experience were going on walks, attending a dance party and playing basketball.

For Cole, being part of a team is one of the things that makes the experience meaningful.

"I like the people I play with," he said.

And he is already thinking about another opportunity to compete on the national stage when the next Special Olympics USA games are held in 2030.

"That's the plan," Cole said.

Cole completed IDEAL's two-year program in 2019 and went on to participate in the advanced program. Today, he works at Life Time Athletic in Franklin, where he has been employed for nearly five years performing a variety of facility responsibilities.

Lipscomb's IDEAL program is designed for students with intellectual disabilities who want to receive the full Lipscomb experience to prepare for their future. The IDEAL program offers students with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to experience college alongside their peers while developing academic, career and independent living skills. Students take classes, complete internships, attend sporting and cultural events and participate in campus life as members of the Lipscomb community.

When students graduate from the two-year program, students earn a Certificate of Career Exploration Studies. After completing the two-year program, students can apply for the IDEAL Advanced Program. This is an additional, optional third and fourth year focused on further increasing employment and independent living skills through working in paid employment and living in apartments off campus.

Cole said his memories of his time as a student in Lipscomb's IDEAL program often center on the relationships he built there.

"My favorite part about IDEAL [was] working out with my peers and eating lunch with my peers," said Cole.

Cottrell remembers his Lipscomb experience in much the same way.

"I met a lot of really good friends there," he said, noting that one of those friendships eventually led to his current roommate.

Learn more about Lipscomb's IDEAL program.