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Navy Wounded Warrior Names Team Navy Roster for
the 2023 Department of Defense Warrior Games Challenge

WASHINGTON – (April 27, 2023) -- Navy Wounded Warrior is proud to announce Team Navy for the 2023 Department of Defense Warrior Games Challenge. This year, Team Navy is comprised of 34 active duty and veteran athletes, 31 Sailors and 3 Coast Guardsmen. This year’s competition will take place June 2 – 12, 2023, at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, Calif.

These Wounded Warrior athletes will be competing against others representing the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, and Special Operations Command.

Hosted by U.S. Army Training & Doctrine Command (TRADOC) the Department of Defense organizes an annual adaptive-sports competition, the Warrior Games. This year is the 13th Anniversary highlighting the exceptional physical skills and mental toughness of seriously wounded, ill and injured active-duty and veteran service members. While the structure of the Warrior Games Challenge may be slightly different than a traditional Warrior Games, athletes will still participate in a premier and elite-level adaptive sporting event.

This year’s event will feature 11 sports: archery, cycling, field, indoor rowing, powerlifting, shooting, track, sitting volleyball, swimming, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby.

2023 Team Navy Roster

  • HM3 Kolawole “Kola” Arubuolawe
  • MA2 Lindsay Battista (ret.)
  • HM1 Kalyn Bedel CAPT Suzanne Brown, USCG (ret.)
  • HM2 Donald “Don” Calero
  • ABH2 Luis Cervantes (ret.)
  • STGC John “Blake” Conley (ret.)
  • LT Joshua “Josh” Connell (ret.)
  • LT William “Erik” Crews (ret.)
  • IS2 Andrew Garcia
  • LS2 Merry Garza (ret.)
  • GMC Derelle Gladden (ret.)
  • YN2 Aaron Gomez, USCG (ret.)
  • MA2 Kyle Higginbotham
  • AN Jasmine “Jas” Jones
  • AWO2 Kyle Kitzman
  • AS1 Francis “Frank” Lasch
  • HM1 Jamie Lopez (ret.)
  • MA1 Christopher “Chris” Lorenz
  • AWO2 Levi Moore (ret.)
  • HM2 Maxwell “Kwame” Ocloo
  • HM3 Johnathan “John” Paige
  • GM1 Larry Polendey (ret.)
  • CTT1 Jiesyl Rama
  • ATAN Christopher “Chris” Ratliff
  • FCA2 Kayla “Sassy” Saska
  • LS2 Baurel Souop (ret.)
  • RDML Edward “Teddy” St. Pierre, USCG
  • AFW1 Mykal “Mike” Sykes
  • IS2 Jesse Temares
  • NC1 Tiffany “Tiff” Whetstonestaley
  • OS1 Travis “Jigsaw” Wyatt (ret.)
  • HM3 Gabrielle “Gabby” Yarbrough (ret.)
  • PS2 Maria Concepcion “Cone” Yuvienco

Team Navy is part of Navy Wounded Warrior’s adaptive athletics program, which is open to service members and veterans in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard with serious, non-combat or combat-related injuries and physical or psychological illnesses. Recovering Service Members rebuild their strength and endurance, while also drawing inspiration from their teammates. Sports also help build self-esteem, lowers stress levels and invite service members to rejoin a team environment.

All enrollees in Navy Wounded Warrior are encouraged to include adaptive athletics in their recovery plans. Participation is voluntary and requires Sailors and Coast Guardsmen to self-refer or be referred by their commands, chaplain, medical team, peers, or others for enrollment determination. Connect by phone at 855-NAVY-WWP (855-628-9997) or e-mail navywoundedwarrior.fct@navy.mil.

 

Thank you to the 2023 Team Navy supporting sponsor Deloitte for their generous support. (No Navy endorsement implied.)

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