The bond behind Blake Mesenburg’s Teammate of the Year finalist selection

Every Monday night from September to March, the Cincinnati Icebreakers, a nonprofit sled hockey organization, host practices for individuals living with physical impairments that prevent them from ice skating. Miami University senior forward Blake Mesenburg and five teammates saw this as an opportunity to surprise one of the Miami hockey team’s biggest fans.

They drove 45 minutes down to the Queen City Sportsplex in Cincinnati. As they entered the lobby, Mesenburg peered through the rink glass and spotted him.

Sixteen-year-old Liam Jergenson looked up from his sled with a bright smile on his face.

For the next 90 minutes, Mesenburg and the team sat in chairs with blades on the bottom, extended their legs and held two sharp-edged sticks for pushing off. Even though Mesenburg had been on the ice his whole life, he struggled to get the hang of the sled and felt out of place. Luckily for him, Jergenson cared more about the team being there than him sitting in sled hockey practice.

“It’s funny, we’d do drills and I’d be trying to pay attention as he’s talking to me, trying to figure out what we’re going to do,” Mesenburg said. “He could talk all night. He’s that type of kid.”

Jergenson is one of over 600 people diagnosed with KIF1A, a rare neurodegenerative disorder that causes mental and developmental delays, and he’s the only person in the world with his specific mutation.

It’d be rare for the team to not see Jergenson at least once a week at a Friday game or practice. He enjoys hanging out with the players in the locker room before games, and sitting on the bench while they practice.

Jergenson is given these opportunities through Team IMPACT, a national non-profit organization that matches children facing serious illness and disability with college sports teams, creating a long-term, life-changing experience for everyone involved.

Erin Higgins, the associate director of athletic outreach for Team IMPACT, was tasked to find a team for Jergenson. Given his interest for hockey, Higgins saw this as a great opportunity to reach out to Miami. Mesenburg invested in the two-year program and dedicated time to be involved in Jergenson’s life.

“Athletes like Blake [Mesenburg] make this program what it is,” Higgins said. “When you see the success of a match, or relationship, it stands out. Not every match is this way. Not every team can really dive into what the real mission of our program is. It takes kind, loving humans like Blake to really stand out and do this.”

Last season, the Miami hockey team posted a 3-28-3 record and didn’t win a single conference game. Although the program was struggling, Jergenson showed up with the same excitement and support that he has for the team today.

“It was never boring to him and there was never a moment where he didn’t want to show up,” Mesenburg said.

Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter

Jergenson’s mom would send Mesenburg videos and messages of him offering the team encouragement before and after every game. His support for the RedHawks would impact their 2025-26 season, where they recorded a positive 18-16-2 record.

“I always liked when I would get those videos, and I would send it into our team group chat before every game so we could see that there’s people watching and people that care,” Mesenberg said.

Mesenburg reflected on what being a finalist for the award meant to him and what it meant to be a mentor to Jergenson.

“If you put it side-by-side with a performance-based award, looking at life and putting things in perspective, this award means a lot more to me and means a lot more to other people because it’s more about who you are as a person than what you can do on the ice,” Mesenburg said.

This past February, Team IMPACT announced Mesenburg as one of five finalists for the 2026 Teammate of the Year award and announced the winners, Reagan Hornung and Emmy Cardenas from Winthrop University softball. Hornung and Cardenas received recognition at an all-expenses-paid trip to Boston at Team IMPACT’s annual fundraising event, the Game Day Gala on March 11.

The bond between Mesenburg and Jergenson has only grown since their experience with the Teammate of the Year award. In fact, their impact on the program extends to other students and universities.

“As we continue to grow in all 50 states, we now have a partnership with the NCAA, so having Liam and his voice and Blake and his voice share this is giving more opportunity for other kids and teams,” Higgins said. “Blake is much more than just a hockey player, and that’s what our program really tries to highlight.”

Today, Mesenburg and other committed members of the hockey team still hang out with Jergenson. They host game nights and attend baseball games together, staying involved in his life. Mesenburg and Jergenson still call each other often.

The team also continued attending Jergenson’s sled hockey practices on Monday nights until the season ended this past March. Mesenburg continued seeing Jergenson’s energetic smile and maintained their constant conversations on the ice.

Although Mesenburg’s time at Miami is coming to an end, it’s a bond that will stick with him for the rest of his life. Even though he won’t be returning to the RedHawks next season, Mesenburg will still be able to say he has a teammate in Liam Jergenson.

younggm7@miamioh.edu @Grahamyounggm7