With his dynamic personality and contagious smile, it's easy to understand why Rocco Becht's teammates at Iowa State and now at Penn State gravitate toward him.
He's engaging, friendly and open even to strangers. Spend several minutes with him and it's hard not to notice that or the seven colorful bracelets he wears on his wrists.
Each one means something special to Becht, but none more than the blue one with gold letters that says, "Share Your Ivan Smile."
Ivan, Becht's younger cousin, was born with Down syndrome. He died suddenly four years ago at the age of 6 from an undetected heart-related problem.
"There wasn't a day that would go by without that kid smiling," Becht said. "He's honestly one of my biggest whys. He wasn't able to do what normal people can do, but he always smiled. For me to go out there and play my heart out for him is something I strive for every single day."