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LOWELL, Mass. – UMass Lowell Men's Soccer Head Coach Christian Figueroa officially welcomed Ian Muiruri to the team through a Team IMPACT Draft Day event on Wednesday afternoon at the Tsongas Center.

Muiruri, age 12, from Lowell, Mass. was matched with the River Hawks through Team IMPACT, a Boston-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children facing life threatening and chronic illnesses through the power of team by matching them with college athletic teams.

"It's very exciting," said Figueroa. "It's obviously a new step for us moving forward and a new step for Ian, as well. While we're excited to add a new member to the team that will be around the squad as much as possible, we're most excited about the life lessons that are going to be learned on both sides. Our guys are certainly learning a lot through the strength of Ian, and he'll be able to learn a lot from them, as well. They want to share their knowledge and they're vey eager to learn what Ian can teach them.

Ian chose to be a part of the UMass Lowell men's soccer team during a special Draft Day press conference, signed a Team IMPACT/UMass Lowell Letter of Intent and was greeted by the River Hawks' mascot, Rowdy, with a special message on the video board at the Tsongas Center.

"Ian and I have been looking forward to this day for a long time," said Ian's mom Felistus. "We're so happy to finally join the River Hawks and be a part of the men's soccer program. Ian will find mentors and be able to improve his soccer skills, as well as finding friendship."

The Lowell, Mass., native was diagnosed with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRC). RRC is a rare disease where small growths (called papillomas) grow in the respiratory track and cause illness, infections and difficulty with breathing. Ian was diagnosed at the age of 2 with RRC and has had over 100 procedures since his diagnosis. Ian undergoes laser surgery to remove the growths, usually every 5-6 weeks.

Muiruri attends Robinson Middle School. His favorite number is 12 and he loves the colors blue and red. He lists The Avengers as his favorite movie and The Flash as his favorite TV show. Ian is a big fan of Drake and Future and his favorite athlete is Stephen Curry.

Team IMPACT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children facing life threatening and chronic illnesses through the power of team by matching them with college athletic teams. Team IMPACT children are drafted on to college athletic teams, local to where they live and, in effect, become official members of the team from Draft Day through to Graduation. At Team IMPACT, they envision a future where the lives of children facing the hardships associated with adverse issues and events will have access to collegiate team-based support in order to significantly enhance their quality of life in a number of ways, including; socially, psychologically, physically and academically. Team IMPACT also strives to provide collegiate teams with increased levels of awareness, sympathy and support for the medical and disease communities. Established in 2011, Team IMPACT has already matched over 700 children with collegiate teams, at over 300 institutions in 44 states, improving the quality of life of hundreds of courageous children and touching the lives of over 21,000 student athletes. For more information, please visit: www.goteamimpact.org.