🏆 2026 Alumni Awards | Alumni Achievement Award Congratulations to Joe Pleban ’12, recipient of the Alumni Achievement Award! Joe Pleban’s journey is one of extraordinary resilience, perseverance, and determination. A 2012 graduate of Christopher Newport University, where he was an active member of Pi Lambda Phi and the rugby team, Joe faced the challenges of Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor (TGCT), a rare joint disease that ultimately led to the amputation of his left foot in 2014. Rather than allowing adversity to define his future, Joe embraced a new path in adaptive sports. His dedication and determination earned him a place on the U.S. Paralympic Snowboard Team, where he proudly represented the United States at the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Italy, competing in both Snowboard Cross and Banked Slalom. Today, Joe lives in Utah with his family, where he continues to compete as an elite athlete while sharing his story through public speaking and mentoring fellow amputees and indiv...