List of Pennsylvania State University Olympians

The List of Pennsylvania State University Olympians is a list of former or current Penn State students (118) and coaches/faculty members (12) that have made an appearance as athletes or medaled at the Olympic Games, plus one athlete for the boycotted 1980 Summer Olympics. The University had its most representatives participating in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games with 22 participants earning eight medals, also the most ever.[1]

Appearances and medal winners by sport

Totals are through the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

Sport	Appearances^†				Total^♦
Track and field	52	5	9	5	19
Gymnastics	24	0	0	1	1
Fencing	19	0	1	3	4
Volleyball	14	0	2^#	5^¶	7
Wrestling	14	3	1	1	5
Soccer	9	0	0	2^‡	2
Basketball	7	1	1	1	3
Swimming & Diving	6	2	0	3	5
Cycling	7	0	0	0	0
Rifle	4	0	0	0	0
Field Hockey	3	0	0	3^§	3
Short Track Speedskating	3	0	0	1	1
Archery	2	1	0	1	2
Rowing	2	0	0	1	1
Figure skating	2	1	0	0	1
Kayaking	2	0	0	0	0
Bobsled	1	0	0	0	0
Beach Volleyball	1	0	0	0	0
Boxing	1	0	0	0	0
Tug-of-war	1	0	0	0	0
Total	174	13	14	27	54

^† an athlete is considered to have appeared once in each sport entered each time the Games of an Olympiad or Winter Games were held, including attendance as alternates
^♦ number of times that a person received an Olympic medal or honor for finishing among the top three in an event
^‡ both on the 2012 bronze medal-winning Canada women's team
^# both on the 2012 silver medal-winning USA women's team
^¶ all on the 2016 bronze medal-winning USA men's and women's teams
^§ all on the 1984 bronze medal-winning USA women's team

Olympians

Nate Cartmell

1904

Fred Englehardt, 1904

St. Louis

Name	Sport	Medal (if app.) and event
Nate Cartmell [2]	Track and field	(100m) (200m)
Fred Englehardt[3]	Track and field	(triple jump)

Lee Talbott

1908

London

Name	Sport	Medal (if app.) and event
Nate Cartmell [2]	Track and field	(1600m medley relay) (200m)
Lee Talbott	Track and field Wrestling Tug-of-war

Harold Barron

William Cox

Larry Shields

1920

Antwerp

Name	Sport	Medal (if app.) and event
Harold Barron	Track and field	(110m hurdles)
Alan Helffrich[4][5]	Track and field
Larry Shields	Track and field	(3000m team) (1500m)

1924

Paris

Name	Sport	Medal (if app.) and event
William Cox	Track and field	(3000m team)
Schuyler Enck	Track and field	(800m)
Alan Helffrich	Track and field	(4 × 400m relay)
Carl Madera [4]	Boxing
Charles Moore, Sr. [4]	Track and field
Katsutoshi Naito	Wrestling	(freestyle featherweight)
John Romig	Track and field
Arthur Studenroth	Track and field	(cross country team)

1928

Amsterdam

Name	Sport	Medal (if app.) and event
Ray Conger [6]	Track and field
John Romig	Track and field
Al Bates	Track and field	(long jump)

1932

Los Angeles

Name	Sport
Paul Rekers	Track and field

Walter Bahr, with Vice-President Joe Biden in 2010

1948

London

Name	Sport	Medal (if app.) and event
Walter Bahr [7]	Soccer
William Bonsall	Gymnastics
Louis Bordo	Gymnastics
Barney Ewell	Track and field	(4 × 100m relay) (100m) (200m)
Herman Goffberg	Track and field
Bill Koll [8]	Wrestling (freestyle)
Ray Sorensen	Gymnastics
Curt Stone	Track and field

1952

Helsinki

Name	Sport	Medal (if app.) and event
Horace Ashenfelter	Track and field	(3000m steeplechase)
William Ashenfelter	Track and field
Curt Stone	Track and field

1952 Winter Olympic Games

Oslo

Name	Sport
Kurt Oppelt [9][10][11]	Figure skating

1956

Melbourne

Name	Sport
Horace Ashenfelter	Track and field
Ronald Coder [4]	Soccer
Dick Dyer [3][12][13]	Fencing
Richard Packer [4]	Soccer
Karl Schwenzfeier (Schier) [4]	Gymnastics
Curt Stone	Track and field
Armando Vega	Gymnastics

1956 Winter Olympic Games

Cortina d'Ampezzo

Name	Sport	Medal (if app.) and event
Kurt Oppelt [9][10][11]	Figure skating	(pair skating)
Edgar Seymour	Bobsled

1960

Rome

Name	Sport
Jean Cronstedt	Gymnastics
Dick Dyer [3][12][13]	Fencing
Garland O'Quinn Jr.[14]	Gymnastics
Ed Moran[4][5]	Track and field

1964

Tokyo

Name	Sport
Kathy Corrigan	Gymnastics
Greg Weiss	Gymnastics

1968

Mexico City

Name	Sport	Medal (if app. and event)
Jane Barkman-Brown [15]	Swimming	(4 × 100m freestyle relay) (200m freestyle)
James Culhane [4]	Gymnastics
Steve Cohen	Gymnastics
Lennart Hedmark	Track and field
William Reilly	Track and field

1972

Munich

Name	Sport	Medal (if app.) and event
Marshall Avener	Gymnastics
Jane Barkman-Brown [15]	Swimming	(4 × 100m freestyle relay)
James Culhane	Gymnastics
Steven Hayden	Track and field
Lennart Hedmark	Track and field
Mike Sands	Track and field

1976

Montreal

Name	Sport	Medal (if app.) and event
Marshall Avener	Gymnastics
Diane Braceland (-Vreugdenhil)	Rowing
Lennart Hedmark	Track and field
Knut Hjeltnes	Track and field
Al Jackson[4][5]	Track and field
Steven Kaplan	Fencing
Romel Raffin	Basketball
Susan Rojcewicz [16]	Basketball	(team)
Mike Sands	Track and field
Michael Shine	Track and field	(400m hurdles)
Gene Whelan [4]	Gymnastics
Wayne Young	Gymnastics

1980

Moscow

Jana Angelakis, Greg Fredericks, Charlene Morett, Christine Larson-Mason,[17] Knut Hjeltnes (Norway) and Romel Raffin (Canada) were all named to their respective Olympic teams but did not participate due to the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott.

1984

Los Angeles

Charlene Morett

Lou Banach

Name	Sport	Medal (if app.) and event
Jana Angelakis	Fencing
Terry Bartlett	Gymnastics
Lou Banach[18]	Wrestling (freestyle)	(light heavyweight)
Glenn Dubis	Rifle
Knut Hjeltnes	Track and field
Christine Larson-Mason	Field Hockey	(team)
Charlene Morett	Field Hockey	(team)
Romel Raffin	Basketball
Brenda Stauffer	Field Hockey	(team)

1988

Seoul

Knut Hjeltnes

Name	Sport	Medal (if app.) and event
Terry Bartlett	Gymnastics
Ken Chertow	Wrestling
Glenn Dubis	Rifle
Knut Hjeltnes	Track and field
Suzie McConnell	Basketball	(team)
Romel Raffin	Basketball

1992

Barcelona

Name	Sport	Medal (if app.) and event
Terry Bartlett	Gymnastics
J-Me Carney[3][19]	Cycling
Mary Ellen Clark	Diving	(10m platform)
Greg Elinsky [4]	Wrestling
Suzie McConnell	Basketball	(team)
Ian Shelley	Gymnastics
Barry Walsh	Track and Field
Rich Weiss [20]	Kayaking

1996

Atlanta

Bronze statue of Rich Weiss by Tyler Mark Richardella

Name	Sport	Medal (if app.) and event
Sanshiro Abe	Wrestling
Dominic Brindle[21]	Gymnastics
Mary Ellen Clark	Diving	(10m platform)
Peter Cox	Fencing
Salima Davidson[4]	Volleyball
Glenn Dubis	Rifle
C.J. Hunter	Track and field
Suzanne Paxton	Fencing
Tom Strzalkowski	Fencing
Rich Weiss [20]	Kayaking
Rod White [3]	Archery	(men's team)

2000

Sydney

Glenn Dubis

Kolat in November 2015

Name	Sport	Medal (if app.) and event
J-Me Carney[3]	Cycling
Glenn Dubis	Rifle
Sammie Henson[22]	Wrestling	(Bantamweight, Freestyle)
Cary Kolat[23]	Wrestling
Kerry McCoy	Wrestling
Alexander Weber	Fencing	(team sabre)
Christie Welsh [4]	Soccer
Rod White [3]	Archery	(men's team)

2002

Salt Lake City

Name	Sport
Allison Baver	Short Track Speedskating

2004

Athens[24]

Name	Sport	Medal (if app.) and event
Eugene Botes	Swimming
Ramon Hernandez	Beach volleyball
Kerry McCoy	Wrestling
Connie Moore [4]	Track and field
Cael Sanderson [25]	Wrestling	(Light-Heavyweight, Freestyle)
Luis Vargas	Gymnastics

2006

Torino

Name	Sport
Allison Baver	Short Track Speedskating

Adam Wiercioch

2008

Beijing[26]

Aleesha Barber

Mike Friedman

Jan Jagla

Name	Sport	Medal (if app.) and event
Toyin Augustus	Track and field
Aleesha Barber	Track and field
Michael Friedman	Cycling
Jan Jagla	Basketball
Bobby Lea	Cycling
Erin McLeod	Soccer
Kirsten Nieuwendam	Track and field
Nontapat Panchan	Fencing
Kevin Tan	Gymnastics	(team)
Adam Wiercioch	Fencing	(team épée)
Doris Willette [4]	Fencing

Allison Baver

2010

Vancouver

Name	Sport	Medal (if app.) and event
Allison Baver	Short Track Speedskating	(3000m Relay)

Christa Harmotto

2012

London[27]

Daniel Gómez Tanamachi

Felix Aronovich

Carmelina Moscato

Erin Mcleod

Bridget Franek

Megan Hodge

Shana Cox (right)

Name	Sport	Medal (if app.) and event
Matt Anderson	Volleyball
Felix Aronovich	Gymnastics
Dominique Blake [4]	Track and field	(4 × 400m relay) [28][29]
Miles Chamley-Watson	Fencing
Shana Cox	Track and field
Natalie Dell	Rowing	(quadruple sculls)
Nicole Fawcett [4]	Volleyball
Bridget Franek	Track and field
Alisha Glass [4]	Volleyball
Daniel Gómez Tanamachi	Fencing
Christa Harmotto	Volleyball	(team)
Megan Hodge	Volleyball	(team)
Bobby Lea	Cycling
Erin McLeod	Soccer	(team)
Carmelina Moscato	Soccer	(team)
Kirsten Nieuwendam	Track and field
Tommy Ramos	Gymnastics
Jake Varner [30][31]	Wrestling	(96 kg, Freestyle)
Ryan Whiting [32]	Track and field
Doris Willette	Fencing

2016

Rio de Janeiro[33]

Nicole Fawcett

Matt Anderson

Max Holt

Alisha Glass

Joe Kovacs

Ali Krieger

Alyssa Naeher

Aaron Russell

Miles Chamley-Watson

Name	Sport	Medal (if app.) and event
Monica Aksamit	Fencing	(team saber)
Matt Anderson	Volleyball	(team)
Matt Baranoski	Cycling
Bia Bulcão[34]	Fencing
Miles Chamley-Watson	Fencing	(team foil)
Nicole Fawcett [4]	Volleyball
Alisha Glass	Volleyball	(team)
Daniel Gómez Tanamachi	Fencing
Carlos Guerra	Volleyball
Christa (Harmotto) Dietzen	Volleyball	(team)
Darrell Hill	Track and field
Megan (Hodge) Easy [4]	Volleyball
Max Holt	Volleyball	(team)
Joe Kovacs	Track and field	(shot put)
Ali Krieger	Soccer
Bobby Lea	Cycling
Eddie Lovett [35]	Track and field
Frank Molinaro	Wrestling
Alyssa Naeher[36]	Soccer
Aaron Russell	Volleyball	(team)
Shane Ryan	Swimming
Katarzyna Trzopek	Fencing

Paralympics

2004

Athens

Name	Sport
Jeff Hantz[37]	Track and field

2008

Beijing

Name	Sport
Maggie Redden[37]	Track and field

See also

Penn State Nittany Lions
List of Pennsylvania State University people
List of American universities with Olympic medals

Notes

1. "Penn State Olympians" (PDF). Retrieved 2014-01-05.
2. Nate Cartmell attended the University of Pennsylvania and later served as head coach of track and field at Penn State from 1922–33. After his Olympic years, he embarked on a coaching career in 1910 that led to coaching stints at seven other institutions, both before and after Penn State.
3. Mallon, Bill (21 Sep 2017). "USA OLYMPIANS AND THEIR COLLEGES". Retrieved 2017-10-14.
4. Alternate on team; traveled to Olympic Games but did not compete.
5. Penn State Track and Field/Cross Country 2012. State College, Pennsylvania USA. 2012. p. 105. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
6. Ray Conger ran track for Iowa State in college, later obtained a masters degree in physiology, and then did further graduate work at Columbia. From 1931–36 he taught zoology at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, where he also coached track. He then joined the faculty at Penn State and was a professor of physical education preceding his retirement in 1970.
7. Walter Bahr was the captain of the U.S. national team in the 1950 FIFA World Cup when, in what is considered one of the greatest upsets in sports history, it defeated England, 1-0, with Bahr assisting on the lone goal. Later he became the men's soccer coach at Penn State from 1974–1988.
8. Bill Koll attended Iowa State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Iowa) and later became professor of Health and Physical Education, as well as head coach of the Penn State wrestling team from 1965–1979, which included unbeaten dual meet campaigns in 1967, 1970 thru 1972, and 1974.
9. After 1956, Kurt Oppelt skated in ice shows with his partner, Sissy Schwarz, and was the coach of the Royal Dutch Figure Skating Team from 1957–1960. He later settled in the United States. In 1967, Oppelt became an instructor at Penn State in its College of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. In 1996 he received the Golden Medal of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria.
10. "Winter Olympic Games: Athleticism in the Snow, 2010 Games: February 12-28, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada". Archived from the original on 2013-05-15. Retrieved 2013-12-28.
11. "Olympedia, Kurt Oppelt Biographical information". Retrieved August 27, 2020.
12. Phinizy, Coles (December 5, 1955). "AMERICA'S DIM HOPES FOR ITS FIRST OLYMPIC FENCING TITLE ARE BRIGHTENED CONSIDERABLY BY TWO DETERMINED NEW BLADES". Sports Illustrated. 3 (23). Retrieved 2017-10-15.
13. "Dick Dyer". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-18. Retrieved 2017-10-15.
14. Mallon, Bill (21 Sep 2017). "USA OLYMPIANS AND THEIR COLLEGES". Retrieved 2017-10-14. O'Quinn attended the U.S. Military Academy as an undergraduate and Penn State as a graduate student.
15. At the time of the 1968 Olympics, Jane Barkman was age 16; later she became Penn State assistant swim coach and went on to become head coach at Princeton.
16. After her 1975 college graduation at Southern Connecticut, Sue Rojcewicz became a physical education instructor and assistant basketball coach at Penn State.
17. "GEO-POLITICS AND AMERICAN ATHLETES DENIED OLYMPIC OPPORTUNITIES PROFILED". Sports Perspectives. 9 July 2010. Retrieved 2014-01-01.
18. Mallon, Bill (21 Sep 2017). "USA OLYMPIANS AND THEIR COLLEGES". Retrieved 2017-10-14. Banach attended the University of Iowa as an undergraduate and Penn State as a graduate student in 1988.
19. Motko, Carla (Oct 21, 1997). "Cycling club hoping to add to its list of accomplishments". Retrieved 2017-10-15.
20. Mallon, Bill (21 Sep 2017). "USA OLYMPIANS AND THEIR COLLEGES". Retrieved 2017-10-14. Weiss attended Colorado School of Mines as an undergraduate and Penn State as a graduate student. He drowned in a kayaking accident on the White Salmon River in Washington state in 1997.
21. "Nissen Emery Award". USA Gymnastics. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
22. Sammie Henson was undefeated and two-time NCAA champion at Clemson University. From 2000–2002 he was assistant wrestling coach at Penn State. During his time there, Henson assisted head coach Troy Sunderland in taking the Nittany Lions from 35th in the country to sixth with a pair of top-five recruiting classes in just two years.
23. Mallon, Bill (21 Sep 2017). "USA OLYMPIANS AND THEIR COLLEGES". Retrieved 2017-10-14. In 1993, Kolat began his collegiate career at Penn State. He transferred to Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania in 1995.
24. 2004 PSU Olympians
25. Cael Sanderson attended and coached at Iowa State University before becoming Penn State's head wrestling coach in 2009.
26. 2008 PSU Olympians
27. "Big Ten totals 35 medals, including 15 Gold, at Olympics". Big Ten Network. Retrieved 2017-10-15.
28. "TRACK AND FIELD OLYMPIANS TO BE RECOGNIZED". University Park, Pennsylvania. Oct 4, 2012. Retrieved 2016-08-14. Blake, a member of Penn State's NCAA Champion 4x400 in 2008, also had a successful London experience, earning a bronze medal as a member of Jamaica's 4x400 relay pool.
29. Walker, Howard (23 June 2017). "Dominique Blake finally returns bronze medal". Jamaican Observer. Retrieved 1 November 2017. Dominique Blake handed over the 4x400m relay medal she was erroneously presented with, having never competed in the heats or the final of the event at the 2012 Olympics.
30. Jake Varner won the gold medal in the 96 kg freestyle category at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Afterward he became an assistant coach at Penn State under Cael Sanderson. A student-athlete at Iowa State, he was 2009 and 2010 NCAA champion and finished second in the 2007 and 2008 NCAA championships, while being coached by Sanderson.
31. "American Jacob Varner takes 96kg freestyle wrestling gold". BBC. August 13, 2012.
32. Ryan Whiting, a native of Harrisburg, Pa., and 2010 alumnus of Arizona State University, was a volunteer coach on the Penn State track and field staff. He was the defending World Indoor Champion in the shot put and represented the U.S. at the 2011 IAAF World Outdoor Championships and 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He was also a six-time NCAA Champion while competing at Arizona State.
33. "School record 20 Penn Staters participating in Rio Olympic Games". July 19, 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
34. "Tokyo Drift". Penn Stater. 106 (6) (July/August 2019 ed.). University Park, Pennsylvania: Penn State Alumni Association. p. 26.
35. Aydin, Tim (Aug 1, 2016). "Reppin' In Rio: Penn Staters In The 2016 Olympic Games". Black Shoe Diaries. Vox Media, Inc. Retrieved 2016-08-11. A former University of Florida athlete, Eddie Lovett was a Penn State volunteer assistant coach at the time of the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he represented the U.S. Virgin Islands in the 110-meter hurdles.
36. "FIFA Tournaments – Alyssa NAEHER – Playing career at FIFA Tournaments". FIFA. Retrieved 2017-10-27. player didn't appear in any matches
37. Penn Staters in the Olympics (curated display). University Park, Pennsylvania: Penn State All-Sports Museum. 5 April 2017.