2016 Olympians
66 current or former Ivy League student-athletes and coaches will participate in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The League's contingent hail from seven of the eight schools and will represent 13 countries, including the United States, Bermuda, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Ghana, Greece, Nigeria, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Uzbekistan and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Princeton leads the way with 15 participants, followed by Harvard (14), Dartmouth (nine), Yale (eight), Cornell (seven), Brown (six) and Columbia (four). Moreover, two alumni will serve as head coaches for the United States, while three current Ivy coaches will be performing similar duties in Rio, four assistant coaches will compete and three alumni will serve as program managers.
BROWN (6)
Louisa Chafee’s first Olympic appearance comes following an impressive collegiate career. Growing up around sailing, Chafee went on to become a three-time All-American Crew and two-time All-NEISA First Team after helping Brown to numerous top five finishes at Nationals.
As the lone Ivy representative on the Women’s Eight team, Tessa Gobbo will be even more determined to carry on the success of this team, which will be in search of its third straight Olympic gold. Leading up to Rio, the U.S. boat has placed first in its last three international competitions, most recently winning gold at the World Rowing Cup II.
Luke McGee will serve as the head heavyweight coach for the U.S. National Team, a post he has held since 2013. McGee will coach three former Ivy Leaguer standouts - Glenn Ochal (Princeton ’08), Mike DiSanto (Harvard ’12) and Alex Karwoski (Cornell ’12). Most recently, McGee coached the team to a first-place finish at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta. Prior to his time with the U.S. National Team, McGee coached at Brown from 2004-07,a before coaching at the University of Washington.
Jimmy Pedro will serve as the United States Judo Head Coach for the second consecutive Games. Four years ago, Pedro guided American Kayla Harrison to the country’s first-ever gold medal in the sport. Pedro is no stranger to the Olympics, competing in four straight games from 1992 to 2004. A former Brown wrestler, Pedro earned a bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games and 2004 Sydney Games.
A rising senior at Brown, Sovijja Pou is headed to his first Olympic games after qualifying in the summer of 2015 at the FINA World Championships. Pou currently holds five Cambodian records including his Olympic event, the 100m freestyle, as well as the 200m and 400m freestyle and the 100m and 200m butterfly.
Inspired by his sister’s participation on the Brown women’s rowing team, Anders Weiss ’15 figured he would give the sport a try as well as a walk-on. A mere four years later, Weiss has now qualified for the Olympics in Rio by winning the Men’s pair at the 2016 Olympic Team Trials.
COLUMBIA (3)
Katie Meili will be making her first Olympic appearance in Rio after a breakout post-collegiate career. The former Ivy League Most Outstanding Swimmer swam in her first Olympic Trials while still attending Columbia in 2012. Despite missing the London Games, Meili has collected gold in numerous events at the 2015 U.S. Nationals and Pan Ams, including the event she will be competing in Rio, the 100m breaststroke.
Nzingha Prescod, who is currently ranked No. 2 in the U.S. and No. 10 in the world, is making her second trip to an Olympic game. She has been an active part of seven senior world championship teams. In 2012, Prescod finished 22nd overall individually and helped Team USA to a sixth place finish as a team.
Akua Obeng-Akrofi will be the only Ivy Olympic track & field competitor to be featured in a team relay. She joins Ghana’s 4x100-meter relay team after a breakout year at Columbia where she qualified for the NCAA East Regionals in the 400-meter dash. In her first year as a Lion, Obeng-Akrofi helped set a new school record in the 4x200-meter relay at the Pepsi Florida Relays.
CORNELL (7)
A former Track & Field standout in high school, Tracy Eisser made a seamless transition to rowing at Cornell. Following her collegiate career, Eisser continued her success on the international stage, posting top-three finishes in her last three competitive events, including a first-place finish at the 2015 World Rowing Championships.
Muhammad Halim is headed to his second Games, first competing in London in the 2012 Games where he placed 18th in the triple jump. Most recently, Halim earned a ninth place finish at the NACAC Championships in Costa Rica. While at Cornell, Halim set new League and championship meet records in the triple jump that still hold today.
The former Most Outstanding Track Performer at the 2013 Ivy League Outdoor Heps, Bruno Hortelano-Roig has settled into a record-breaking sprinter representing Spain. Recently, he earned a gold medal at the 2016 European Championships in the 200-meter dash while setting a new Spanish record of 20.39 in the semifinals of the race.
Graduating from Cornell in 2012, Alex Karowski, will make his first Olympic appearance for Team USA. Karowski, along with Princeton’s Glenn Ochal and Harvard’s Mike DiSanto will make up nearly half of the Men’s Eight Team. While Ochal brigns experience, Karwoski and DiSanto bring a youthful flavor to the boat and have been successful. In 2016, the trio of Ivies have helped the boat to two top-three finishes in major international competition leading up to Rio.
Greg Massialas is no stranger to the Olympics. Rio 2016 marks the third Olympic game he has served as the U.S. National Men's Foil Coach. He is a three-time Olympian, competing in 1980, 1984 and 1988. He also was an Olympic referee at the 1996 Games.
Stephen Mozia, the only Cornell athlete to champion the shot put at four consecutive Ivy League Outdoor Heptagonal Championships, will be throwing shot put for Nigeria in Rio. Mozia was a four-time First-Team All-American with the Big Red and currently holds the second-best mark all-time for the League.
The current League, championship, and Cornell program record holder in the hammer throw, Rudy Winkler is set for his first Olympic games after a grueling selection process. Winkler took first place at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, yet missed the Olympic standard with a mark of 76.76 meters. Now selected by the committee to attend the Games, the two-time All-American is coming off an NCAA silver medal in hopes of making a splash on an international stage.
DARTMOUTH (9)
A seven-time individual NCAA champion, Abbey D’Agostino is noted as the first Ivy Leaguer to do so and the first Ivy to win a national championship in cross country. D’Agostino will be headed to Rio as her first Olympic venture since turning professional in 2014. Most recently, she posted a second-place finish at the 2016 USA Indoor Championships followed by a fifth place finish at the U.S. Olympic Trials to qualify for the Games.
Anthony Fahden, a 2008 Dartmouth grad, is no stranger to the Olympic stage, as he will be competing in his second consecutive games. Fahden, along with Robin Prendes (Princeton ’11) and Tyler Nase (Princeton ’13) will represent the U.S. in the lightweight fours boat. At the 2012 London Games, Fahden and Prendes helped their team to an eighth place finish. In preparation for Rio, the squad has posted several top-10 finishes, including a bronze at the 2016 World Rowing Cup I.
Sean Furey will be appearing in his second Olympic Games after holding the top mark in the U.S. in 2012. Furey holds the Dartmouth program record in the javelin and waas named the USTFCCCA Men’s Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2005, the same year he championed the javelin at the Ivy League championship.
A two-time All-American at Dartmouth, Madison Hughes heads to Rio as the captain of the U.S. national rugby sevens team. This past season, Hughes became the world leading points scorer for the year and helped the USA to a sixth place overall finish.
A 2013 Dartmouth graduate, Joshua Konieczny will make his first Olympic appearance in Rio. Along with fellow Ivy Leaguer Andrew Campbell (Harvard ’14), the tandem will compete side-by-side in the Men’s Lightweight Double Sculls in Rio. The pair has posted top-10 finishes in their last three international events including a fourth place finish at the 2015 World Rowing Cup II. Konieczny and Campbell also won their respective event at the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Team Trials.
Alex Magleby has made the transition from his time as a member of US National Rugby Sevens Team to the Performance Director role that he will serve in Rio. Magleby was the head rugby coach at Dartmouth from 2001-2011 and played on the team from 2000-2005. Magleby also spent the 2012-2013 season as the head coach for the USA Sevens side.
After gaining dual citizenship in December 2015, Alexi Pappas will take her All-American credentials to represent Greece at the 2016 Rio Games. While at Dartmouth, Pappas set a new program record in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase on her way to the NCAA Regionals in the event. Off the track, Pappas recently released a semi-autobiographical film to the Los Angeles Film Festival titled “Tracktown”, in which she stars.
Making her second trip to the Olympic Games, Evelyn Stevens, a former Dartmouth tennis player and investment banker, last placed 24th overall in the women’s road race. Since London, Stevens has collected an impressive resume of first place finishes all over the world. Most recently, she placed 24th at the 2015 World Championship road race and sixth in the time trial.
HARVARD (12)
Vincent Breet, a native of Gauteng, South Africa, was part of a Men’s Four boat that qualified in dramatic fashion for the Rio Games. After missing out on qualification at last year’s World Rowing Championships, Breet and Co. earned one of the final two qualifying spots available with a victory at the Olympic Qualification Regatta in Switzerland in May.
A 2014 Harvard graduate, Andrew Campbell will make his first Olympic appearance in Rio. Along with fellow Ivy Leaguer Joshua Konieczny (Dartmouth ’13), the tandem will compete side-by-side in the Men’s Lightweight Double Sculls in Rio. The pair has posted top-10 finishes in their last three international events including a fourth place finish at the 2015 World Rowing Cup II. Konieczny and Campbell also won their respective event at the 2016 Olympic Team Trials.
Olivia Coffey is already accustomed to Olympic success with her father, Calvin, winning the silver medal in the Men’s Pair at the 1976 Olympics. Although she will be traveling to Rio as an alternate, Coffey will be ready to compete if her name is called. Coffey has said she “doesn’t specialize in any boat”, making her versatility as an alternate a valuable asset. Coffey won gold in the Quadruple Sculls at the 2015 World Rowing Championship.
Eli Dershwitz has worked his way up the ranks in the world of fencing, currently sitting at the top spot in the country and No. 10 in the world. After joining Team USA and becoming the youngest member to attend Senior Worlds, Dershwitz went on to become to the first U.S. men’s saber fencer to win back-to-back medals at the Junior World Championships. In his first season at Harvard, Dershwitz was a first-team All-America selection, finishing third at the NCAA Championships with a 22-2 record.
Mike DiSanto, a 2012 Harvard graduate, will make his first Olympic appearance for Team USA. DiSanto, along with Princeton’s Glenn Ochal and Cornell’s Alex Karwoski will make up nearly half of the Men’s Eight Team. While Ochal brigns experience, DiSanto and Karwoski bring a youthful flavor to the boat and have been successful. In 2016, the trio of Ivies have helped the boat to two top-three finishes in major international competition leading up to Rio.
Cheta Emba, a 2015 graduate of Harvard, will represent the United States Rugby Team as a travel reserve. Emba will be one of 14 athletes to travel to Rio and embark on the first women’s Rugby Sevens competition in Olympic history. Emba, one of two alternates for the USA squad, earned a place on the national team after playing for the women's national 15s rugby team this summer in the 2016 Super Series.
Brendan Hodge, a 2007 Harvard graduate, will make his Olympic debut in Rio. Hodge will represent Canada in the men’s lightweight coxless four boat. Hodge won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in the event and was officially named to the Olympic team in June.
A three-time All-American as a junior with the Crimson, Okwelogu has earned her status as one of the best Ivy League throwers in history. Named the USTFCCCA Northeast Region Field Athlete of the Year for the 2016 outdoor season, Okwelogu has also become a national champion in Nigeria. In 2014, she claimed the title of Nigerian National Champion in the shot put and currently holds the Ivy League records for both the shot put and discus.
Shelley Pearson, a 2013 Harvard grad, will become the first Bermudian woman to ever compete in rowing when the races kick off in Rio. Pearson qualified in dramatic fashion earlier this year, winning the 2,000-meter A final in her only chance at qualification at the Latin American Olympic Continental Qualification Regatta.
Henrik Rummel, a 2009 Harvard graduate, will look for a second appearance on the medal stand as part of the United States’ men’s four in Rio. Rummel, along with Yale’s Charlie Cole captured bronze in London, and they have only shown improvement since. Rummel garnered USRowing Male Athlete of the Year in 2013. In their last competitive race before Rio, Rummel and Cole manned the boat the won gold in the men’s four at the 2016 World Rowing Cup I.
After a very successful career in the boat, Liz Soutter ’12 has made the transition to an administrative role with USRowing for Rio. While at Harvard, Soutter was part of a varsity eight squad that won the third-level final at the NCAA Championships. In addition to her position with USRowing, Soutter is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Sports Management at Columbia University.
Olympic appearances are familiar territory for Gregg Stone ’75 as he will be returning to the Games as a program manager after competing in Montreal in 1976. Stone, whose wife Lisa also competed in Montreal, will serve in this role while cheering on his daughter, Gevvie, whom is competing in the women’s single sculls.
PRINCETON (14)
Kate Bertko is a true inspirational story, as she underwent emergency abdominal surgery back in 2014 and then eight weeks later took home the bronze medal in the Single Sculls at the World Rowing Championships. Rowing in the Double Sculls event in Rio, Bertko qualified by winning this event at the 2016 Olympic & Paralympic Team Trials.
An eight-time track & field All-American and 2012 NCAA champion, Donn Cabral is headed to his second Olympic Games in the 3,000m Steeplechase. In 2012, after claiming the NCAA title and setting a new American collegiate record, Cabral placed eighth in London. Most recently, Cabral placed 10th at the 2015 World Championships.
Franks, a 2007 Princeton graduate, will join the United States Field Hockey team for the second straight Olympic Games as performance analyst. His primary role will be to breakdown the team’s games live, as well as scout all opposing teams. Franks served as an assistant coach at Princeton from 2011-12. Prior to Princeton, Franks played and coached internationally for a club team in Ireland.
Kat Holmes looks forward to her first Olympic games after dedicating time away from Princeton to reach Rio, currently ranking behind Nzingha Prescod as No. 3 in the country. Already a three-time All-American with one year left as a Tiger, Holmes heads to the Games after an individual and team gold at the 2015 Pan American Games.
Ashleigh Johnson, an incoming senior at Princeton, is a standout goalkeeper on both the collegiate and national stage. She is the Tiger’s career leader in save totals and was named the 2015 Collegiate Water Polo Association Player of the Year. On the national stage, Johnson has helped the U.S. national team to two FINA World Championships while being named the 2015 WaterPoloWorld Female Player of the Year and championship match MVP.
Diana Matheson, the former Ivy League Player of the Year and first-team All-American, will be making her third appearance at the Games for Canada’s women’s soccer team. Matheson has helped Canada qualify for its first ever Olympic games and later on scored the game-winning goal in London to secure a bronze medal for her country. A member of the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, Matheson was named to the NSWL All-Star Team and Washington’s MVP in the league’s inaugural year.
Tyler Nase, a 2013 graduate of Princeton, will represent Team USA in his first Olympic appearance. Nase, along with former teammate Robin Prendes (Princeton ’11) and Anthony Fahden (Dartmouth ’08) will competed in the lightweight fours boat. The team has posted several top-10 finishes in international events in preparation for this Olympics, including a bronze at the 2016 World Rowing Cup I, which secured their spot for Rio.
Princeton graduate Glenn Ochal will make his second Olympic appearance as a key member of the Men’s Eight Team. At the 2012 London Games, Ochal helped the team to a bronze medal. Along with fellow Ivy Leaguers Mike DiSanto (Harvard ’12) and Alex Karwoski (Cornell ’12) will make up nearly half of the Men’s Eight Team. In 2016, the trio of Ivies have helped the boat to two top-three finishes in major international competition leading up to Rio.
Robin Prendes, a 2011 Princeton graduate, has continued to build upon his collegiate rowing success and will compete in his second Games. Prendes, along with Anthony Fahden (Dartmouth ’08) and former Princeton teammate Tyler Nase (Princeton ’13) will represent the U.S. in the lightweight fours boat. At the 2012 London Games, Prendes and Fahden helped their team to an eighth place finish. Most recently, the squad took home bronze at the 2016 World Rowing Cup I.
Julia Reinprecht a 2014 Princeton graduate, is headed to her second Olympic Games, as a member of the USA Field Hockey team. While at Princeton, Julia was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection in 2010. Along with sister Katie Reinprecht (Princeton ’13) Julia has been part of four world championship victories with team USA.
Katie Reinprecht, a 2013 Princeton graduate, is headed to her second Olympic Games, as a member of the USA Field Hockey team. While at Princeton, Reinprecht was the 2008 Ivy League Player of the Year after ranking ninth in the nation for points per game. Since her time as a Tiger, Katie has helped the United States bring home nine world championship medals, including four gold. Her sister, Julia is also a member of the team.
Prior to joining the Reinprechts on the US national team in 2011, Kathleen Sharkey made a name for herself as the Division I leader in goals scored during the 2010 and 2012 seasons. Following her tenure with the Tigers, Sharkey has been a leading force on the national team that captured gold at the 2014 Champions Challenge in Glasgow, Scotland.
Gevvie Stone ’07 will appear in her second consecutive Olympics, rowing for the United States once again in the Single Sculls in Rio. Stone finished seventh in this event at the London games, but has shown much improvement in the last four years. Gevvie has posted three top-four finishes in her last four international competitions, including a silver medal at the 2016 World Rowing Cup II.
An NCAA champion in 2011 and Olympic silver medalist in 2012, Lauren Wilkinson ’11 is one of the stars of Canada’s women’s eight team as it heads to Rio. Since that time, Wilkinson has reached the medal stand at both the 2015 and 2016 World Championships, but hasn’t been able to claim gold. She will hope to overcome the powerhouse that is Team USA and climb up the medal stand one more spot as the stroke for Team Canada in Rio.
YALE (8)
Yale graduates Thomas Barrows and Joe Morris, who brought Yale its first Fowle Trophy in 2009, are joining forces after impressive collegiate and national careers. Graduating in 2010, Barrows was a two-year captain for the Bulldogs and was named NEISA Sailor of the Year and ICSA All-American. Barrows, who will be making his second trip to an Olympic Games, previously sailed for the U.S. Virgin Islands at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Ashley Brzozowicz is one of the veteran members of Team Canada in Rio, having competed in both the Beijing and London Olympics. After claiming silver in the Women’s eight in 2008, Brzozowicz narrowly missed the medal stand with a fourth place finish in 2012. She is one of the most decorated rowers in Canadian history competing in seven world championships and winning four medals with the eight.
Charlie Cole, a 2007 Yale graduate, will look for a second appearance on the medal stand as part of the United States’ men’s four in Rio. Cole, along with Harvard’s Henrik Rummel captured bronze in London, and they have only shown improvement since. Leading up to London, Cole was named the 2011 USRowing Male Athlete of the Year. In their last competitive race before Rio, Rummel and Cole manned the boat the won gold in the men’s four at the 2016 World Rowing Cup I.
Becoming just the second woman to represent Yale at the Olympics in a track & field event, Kate Grace will head to her first Olympic Games after a come-from-behind victory at the U.S. Olympic Trials to post the top U.S. mark in the 800-meter run with a 1:59.10. While at Yale, Grace set a number of program records in the 800 and 1,500-meter races and earned All-American honors in her senior year.
Stu McNay, a 2005 Yale graduate, will be appearing in his third Olympic Games in Rio after qualifying in the 470 race in both Beijing and London. A native of Providence, R.I., McNay was the champion of the 470 Europeans Open in 2015 and a bronze medalist in this competition this past year. While at Yale, McNay was a three-time Collegiate All-American and won the Collegiate Atlantic Coast Championship in 2005.
Miller will make her first Olympic appearance in Rio following successful years for both the Bulldogs and Brazil. As a sophomore at Yale, Miller placed 12th at the NCAA Championships and was later named team captain for the 2016-17 season. She represented Brazil at the 2015 Junior World Championships, Senior Pan American and World Championships.
Yale graduates Thomas Barrows and Joe Morris, who brought Yale its first Fowle Trophy in 2009, are joining forces after impressive collegiate and national careers. Graduating in 2012, Morris will make his Olympic debut. Morris was a two-year captain for the Bulldogs and was named NEISA Sailor of the Year and ICSA All-American.
IVY TIES
Current Ivy League coaches who will be coaching at the Olympics
Adrian Durant is entering his second season as the George Heekin ’29 Head Coach of Men’s Track and Field and Cross Country at Cornell. Durant was named the head coach for the U.S. Virgin Islands Olympic Track Team in 2014, after previously serving as an assistant coach. In Rio, Durant will coach former Cornell standout Muhammed Halim, who will compete in the triple jump.
Zoltan Dudas will be one of three coaches on the épée staff, with Tiger fencer Kat Holmes among those Dudas will be coaching. It will be Dudas’ first time coaching at the Olympics, but it will be the second consecutive Olympic games in which a Dudas-coached Princeton fencer will be competing. Entering his 11th season as the helm, Dudas has coached 38 Princeton épée fencers to All-America honors and guided the Tigers to its first combined men’s/women’s NCAA team title in 2013.
No stranger to the Olympics after competing for the United States in Sydney in 2000, Spencer-El travels to Rio on the other side of the strip as he joins the U.S. coaching staff. In Rio, Spencer-El will coach one of his first students, Ibit Muhammed, who is the first Muslim woman in a hijab to represent the United States in fencing. For the past three years, he has served as the sabre coach at Columbia, where he guided the Lions to two-straight NCAA Team Championship titles.
Current Ivy League coaches who will be competing at the Olympics
Bekzod Abdurakhmonov is entering his third season as a volunteer assistant coach with the Harvard Crimson. Abdurakhmonov will representing Uzbekistan in men’s freestyle wrestling. Abdurakhmonov, a Clarion University graduate, was a two-time NCAA Championship participant and a 2012 All-American. To secure his spot in Rio, he competed at the United World Wrestling Qualifying Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey, when he defeated Spain's Taimuraz Friev Naskidaeva in the finals of the 74kg weight class.
Robby Andrews is entering his fourth season as an assistant distance coach at Princeton. Competing in his first Olympics, Andrews will run the 1500-meter for Team USA. Andrews punched his ticket to Rio with a second-place finish at the trials, clocking a 3:34.88. Andrews was a two-time NCAA Champion and Bowerman Trophy semifinalist while at Virginia. He is currently coached by Princeton head cross country coach Jason Vigilante.
Priscilla Frederick is set to make her Olympic debut in Rio as the current assistant track and field coach at Princeton will compete in the high jump for Antigua and Barbuda. The four-time collegiate All-American owns both the St. John's indoor and outdoor high jump records as well as the Antigua and Barbuda national record. Frederick set her personal best height of 1.91 meters last summer, winning a silver medal at the 2015 Pan American Games while representing Antigua and Barbuda.
Katie O’Donnell-Bam joined the Harvard field hockey staff as an assistant coach in 2016. O’Donnell-Bam is one of nine returning Olympians for Team USA, having also competed on the 2012 squad in London. O’Donnell-Bam is an 11-year member of Team USA with over 200 capped international games to her credit. She joined Team USA in 2005 at the age of 16, becoming the youngest athlete to earn an international cap for the U.S.