More than two dozen current and former Penn State athletes are set to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, which began on Wednesday ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony. Penn State will see the 12th-most athletes compete in the Olympics of any NCAA institution, behind the likes of Stanford, USC, Michigan, UCLA and more.
Whether they’ve spent four-plus years at Penn State or just hung around for a season, here’s more about each Nittany Lion competing.
Aaron Brooks – Wrestling
Aaron Brooks, wrestling for the United States, headlines this year’s group of Penn Staters traveling for the Olympic Games. Brooks is a four-time NCAA national champion, winning both in the 184- and 197-pound categories. He won the 2024 Hodge Trophy, honoring the best collegiate wrestler, after playing a key role in helping Penn State secure another team national title.
Brooks will compete at 86 kilograms after defeating former Penn State wrestler and current Oklahoma State head coach David Taylor for a spot in Paris.
Zain Retherford – Wrestling
Former Penn State wrestler Zain Retherford will attend his first Olympic Games representing the United States. Retherford competed for the Nittany Lions from 2013-17 and won three national championships and two Hodge Trophies. Wrestling at 69 kilograms in the Olympics, Retherford competed at 149 pounds in college, accumulating a 126-3 record across five years, earning four All-American nods.
Retherford and Brooks are joined on the U.S. team by fellow Nittany Lion Wrestling Club members Kyle Dake and Kyle Snyder,
Roman Bravo-Young – Wrestling
Former Penn State wrestler Roman Bravo-Young will compete in his first Olympics for Mexico at 57 kilograms. Bravo-Young spent five years at Penn State and finished as a two-time national champion, a five-time All-American, a three-time Big Ten champion, a Hodge Trophy Finalist, and the Penn State Male Athlete of the Year.
Bravo-Young finished his college career with a 100-10 record and has since taken his professional freestyle career to Mexico.
Sophia Gladieux – Field Hockey
One of the best players in Penn State field hockey history, Sophia Gladieux will represent the United States before her fifth and final year in Happy Valley. Gladieux had previously worked out with the U.S. national team.
Thus far through her time with Penn State, Gladieux is a four-time All-American. In 72 appearances, all of which have been starts, the forward has notched 74 goals and 10 assists. Gladieux’s 158 points are good for fifth-best in program history and those 74 goals are enough for fourth-most.
Former Penn State goalie Jenny Rizzo will join Gladieux as a provisional player for the national team.
Mohamed Cisset – Soccer
Mohamed Cisset will join Mali in men’s soccer after spending just one year at Penn State. Cisset was named a TopDrawerSoccer top-100 freshman in 2023 after making 18 appearances with 14 starts for the Nittany Lions, plus a Big Ten Tournament goal to get them out of the first round.
Alyssa Naeher – Soccer
A long-time veteran of the United States women’s national soccer team, Alyssa Naeher will compete in her third Olympics and second as the starting goalkeeper for the Americans. Naeher, 36, played for Penn State from 2006-09, making 74 starts with 24 shoutouts. Naeher received a slew of awards during her time at Penn State, including several All-American nods and a shout at the MAC Hermann Trophy.
Professionally, Naeher has made 102 appearances for the United States senior national team and has spent the last eight years competing in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) for the Chicago Red Stars.
Sam Coffey – Soccer
Much newer to the professional soccer scene, midfielder Sam Coffey will join Naeher with the United States. Coffey came to Penn State after spending two seasons with Boston College and finished her time at Penn State as a two-time All-American and a Big Ten Midfielder of the Year. Coffey finished her time in college with 102 appearances, 101 starts, 42 goals, and 54 assists across five seasons.
Coffey was drafted by the Portland Thorns with the No. 12 overall selection in the 2021 draft and joined the Thorns a year later. With the national team, Coffey has made 19 appearances with one goal.
Laura Freigang – Soccer
Former Penn State women’s soccer star Laura Freigang will represent Germany at the Olympics for the first time. Freigang wore Penn State’s colors as a midfielder and forward from 2016-17 before she signed with 1. FFC Frankfurt and skipped the last two years of her collegiate career.
During her time in Happy Valley, Freigang was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team, the 2017 All-Big Ten Tournament team, and was the 2017 Offensive Player of the Big Ten Tournament.
Handal Roban – Track & Field
Handal Roban will compete in track and field for St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the 800-meter race. Roban has been recognized as an All-American in the 800 meters four times through just two years of college. In 2023, Roban placed third in the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships. Roban ran a 1:45.36 time in the Penn Relays Summer Classic, giving him the third-quickest time in Penn State outdoor history, paired with the second-quickest indoor time.
Cheickna Traore – Track & Field
Fresh off an NCAA championship in the outdoor track and field 200 meters, Cheickna Traore is off to represent the Ivory Coast in the same race. Traore finished the outdoor season as the Big Ten Men’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, the first Penn Stater to take the honor. Traore finished his time at Penn State as a three-time All-American and a three-time conference champion.
Joe Kovacs – Track & Field
A member of Penn State’s track and field team from 2008-12, Joe Kovacs will compete in his third Olympic Games for the United States. Kovacs’ trophy case is already plenty full, featuring two silver medals from his previous Olympics, as well as two gold medals, two silver medals, and a bronze medal from the World Championships from 2015-2023.
Alexis Holmes – Track & Field
Alexis Holmes competed at Penn State from 2018-19 before transferring to Kentucky for the remainder of her collegiate career. She racked up plenty of accolades in her lone season, including Big Ten indoor and outdoor titles in the 200 meters, an All-American honor and medals in the Pan American games.
Haleigh Washington – Volleyball
A former Penn State women’s volleyball star, Hailegh Washington is heading to Paris to represent the United States in her second Olympic Games. Washington was a three-time All-American at Penn State, winning a national title her freshman year and advancing to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament during her senior year. She won gold in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and plays professionally in Mexico.
Washington’s former Penn State and 2020 Olympic teammate Micah Hancock is an alternate on the 2024 U.S. team.
Matt Anderson – Volleyball
Matt Anderson will compete in volleyball for the United States at the Olympics. Anderson played for Penn State from 2006-08, winning a national championship and cementing himself into the Penn State record books with 1,212 kills and 82 aces. He has played internationally since high school and competed at the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Olympics with the United States, winning a bronze medal in 2016.
Aaron Russell – Volleyball
Aaron Russell will compete alongside Anderson for the United States in volleyball for the second time. Russell played for the Nittany Lions from 2011-15, finishing with 121 appearances, 1,521 kills, 626 digs, and 57 aces. He won bronze at the 2016 Olympics and missed the Tokyo Games because of an injury.
Max Holt – Volleyball
Max Holt, also competing for the United States in volleyball, will make his third Olympic appearance. Holt played for Penn State from 2006-09, winning the national championship in 2008 with Anderson. He earned All-EIVA honors throughout his career and was an All-American in his junior and senior years. Holt won bronze at the 2016 games and was a member of the 2020 U.S. Olympic team.
Sam Zakutney – Gymnastics
Appearing in his first Olympics, former Penn State men’s gymnast Sam Zakutney will compete for Canada. Zakutney was a four-time All-American at Penn State and won a 2019 Big Ten title on parallel bars. Since college, Zakutney has won a Canadian Championship, a silver medal in the 2024 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships, and his third-place finish in the all-around competition at the 2024 Canadian Championships qualified him for the Olympics.
Stephen Nedoroscik – Gymnastics
American Stephen Nedoroscik, like Zakutney, will compete in his first Olympic games. Nedoroscik competed for Penn State from 2017-19, winning two national championships and earning a silver medal in the pommel horse. Since leaving Penn State, Nedoroscik has won gold medals at the 2021 World Championships and the 2023 Pan American Games.
Eduardo Cisternas — Swimming
A rising junior at Penn State, Eduardo Cisternas will be competing in his second Olympic Games for Chile. Cisternas competed in the 400m freestyle at the Tokyo Games and will do so once again in Paris. Prior to his Penn State career, he was a three-time 2019 South American Youth Championships gold medalist.
Emma Harvey — Swimming
Emma Harvey is making her Olympic debut for Bermuda in the 100m backstroke. She competed for Penn State from 2019-24, during which time she was part of a record-setting 200 medley relay and earned the third fastest 100 fly time in program history. Harvey was a 2024 World Championships semifinalist in 50m backstroke and a 2023 Pan American Games finalist in 100m backstroke. Her younger brother Jack, a member of the Penn State men’s team, is also competing for Bermuda at the Paris Games.
Jack Harvey — Swimming
Jack Harvey, a rising senior on the Penn State swimming and diving team, will make his Olympic debut competing in the 100m backstroke for Bermuda. He previously competed for Bermuda in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Great Britain and was a three-time 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games individual finalist. His older sister Emma, who completed her final season on the Penn State women’s team in 2023-24, is also representing Bermuda at the Paris Games.
Gabe Castano — Swimming
Gabe Castano will compete in his second Olympic Games representing Mexico in the 50m freestyle, just as he did at the Tokyo Games three years ago. While at Penn State from 2017-21, Castano earned Big Ten silver and bronze in the 50 free, was part of a record-setting 200 free relay team and earned honorable mention All-American. He was a 2019 Pan American Games bronze medalist in the 4x100m free relay, and earlier this year became the first Mexican swimmer to break 22 seconds for 50m freestyle
Eduardo Moraes – Swimming
Eduardo Moraes also only competed at Penn State for one year. During the 2021-22 season, Moraes competed in the Brazilian National Meet, NCAA Championships, and the Junior Pan American Games, where he earned an individual silver medal. He will represent Brazil in the 400m freestyle in Paris.
Miles Chamley-Watson — Fencing
Fencer Miles Chamley-Watson looks to win his second medal in three Olympic Games with the United States foil team. Chamley-Watson competed for Penn State from 2008-13, earning All-America honors four times and helping the Nittany Lions to two national championships. He redshirted in 2011-12 and competed for the men’s foil at the 2012 London games, where the team finished fourth. He returned with the U.S. at the 2016 Games in Rio, where he earned a bronze medal in the team foil
Samantha Catantan – Fencing
Former Penn State fencer Samantha Catantan will end a decades-long drought for her nation when she becomes the first Filipina fencer to appear in the Olympics since 1992. At Penn State, Catantan’s strongest season came in her freshman year when she placed third in the NCAA Championships. She qualified for the tournament each of her next three years at Penn State, though she never placed as high as third.
Margherita Guzzi Vincenti – Fencing
A native of Milan, Margherita Guzzi Vincenti will compete for Italy as a fencer. Fencing for Penn State from 2009-13, Vincenti compiled a record of 211-29, was a 2010 NCAA champion, a four-time All-American, and cemented herself as one of the best in Penn State fencing history.
Shaul Gordon – Fencing
Shaul Gordon fenced for Penn State for one year before transferring to Penn. Gordan finished second at the 2013 NCAA Championships, tied for third in 2014, and was a three-time All-American. He’ll compete for Canada.
Kayla Canett — Rugby
Kayla Canett helped lead Penn State women’s rugby to a national championship in 2017 and made her debut with the USA National Team that year, going on to play in two Rugby World Cups. She will be making her second Olympic appearance after having competed with the USA Rugby Sevens squad at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Lynzee Brown, assistant coach for the Penn State women’s gymnastics team, also will be competing in Paris as Haiti’s first Olympic gymnast. Brown, who came to Penn State in 2022 as an assistant coach after a collegiate career at Denver, will compete in the Olympic artistic gymnastics competition.
Renata Knapik-Miazga, an assistant coach for the Penn State fencing team since 2023, will make her second Olympic Games appearance for Poland in the women’s épée.
In addition to these competing athletes, former Penn State men’s basketball player Tom Hovasse is head coach of Japan’s men’s basketball team in Paris after leading the country’s women’s team to silver at the Tokyo Games.
Tanisha Wright, a Lady Lion basketball star from 2001-05 and the current head coach of the Atlanta Dream, is serving as a team scout for the U.S. women’s basketball team.
Former Penn State gymnast Ellen Casey (1996-99) is team physician for the U.S. women’s gymnastics team.
Penn State wrestling coaches Cael Sanderson, Cody Sanderson, Casey Cunningham and Nick Lee, and Nittany Lion track and field coaches Dane Miller, Brandon Rizzo and Ryan Foster are serving as personal coaches for Olympic athletes in Paris.
Geoff Rushton contributed to this report.
