CLEVELAND, Ohio - The National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals (N4A) has announced the recipients of its 2025 Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award. FDU men's volleyball player Sina Sinbari was named one of the recipients and will be honored during on Monday, June 9 during the N4A Awards Luncheon during NACDA in Orlando.

"We are so honored to call Sina one of our own," said FDU's Senior Associate Athletic Director and men's volleyball administrator Jason Young. "He has been an incredible inspiration to our entire community and embodies the values of FDU. To know him is a privilege, and I am excited to see the impact his story continues to have."

Without even visiting campus, Sinbari intended to transfer to FDU in Fall 2022 from University of Charleston in West Virginia to join a men's volleyball program in its second year. Two weeks before his arrival, Coach Karl France let the Athletics Department know that Sinbari was having some tests done as he was having unusual abdominal pain and some weight loss. Sinbari called Coach France to give the news that he had been diagnosed with desmoplastic sarcoma, an extremely rare aggressive cancer that produces tumors in the abdomen and pelvic area affecting fewer than 100 people a year. The prognosis for desmoplastic sarcoma is poor with an overall survival rate of 30-55% and 5-year survival rate of 15%.
 
Sinbari's treatment started at what was supposed to be six rounds of chemotherapy to 27 and counting. Sina finally joined the Knights on campus in January 2024, becoming one of the greatest cheerleaders for the men's volleyball program and all of FDU's sports. He entered his first match as a Knight on January 15, 2025 to the cheers of Bogota Savings Bank Center and recorded his first kill on that first check in. While he continues his treatments at the University of California Los Angeles, he still continues early morning team practices following redeye flights while still exuding and sharing his positive energy with all who come in contact with him.
 
About Wilma Rudolph
Despite being told as a child she would never walk again, Wilma Rudolph relentlessly pursued her dreams of becoming an international track and field star. At the height of her career, "the fastest woman in the world" used her platform to shed light on social issues. Rudolph competed in the 1956 Olympic Games and won a bronze medal in the 4x100 relay. Four years later, she headed to the 1960 Summer Olympics determined to earn gold. Her performance in Rome cemented her as one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. She won three gold medals and broke several world records. Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field at the same Olympic Games. The indoor track and dormitory at Tennessee State University are named in honor of Rudolph. She died of a brain tumor on November 12, 1994.
 
About N4A
 N4A, which has been in existence since 1975, is a diverse educational service and professional non-profit organization. Membership of N4A includes academic support and student services personnel who are committed to enhancing opportunities for academic, athletics and personal success for student-athletes. For more information on N4A, visit www.nfoura.org. N4A is administered by NACDA, which is in its 59th year. For more information on NACDA and the 18 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.