Direct link to article - https://cubuffs.com/news/2024/7/24/olympians-ten-with-cu-ties-headed-to-2024-olympics-in-paris
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By: Herman Shelton, Associate Director/Athletic Communications
BOULDER –Ten athletes with ties to the University of Colorado are set to compete in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, with the opening ceremony taking place on Friday, July 26, and concluding with closing ceremonies on Sunday, August 11 followed by the Paralympics from August 28 to September 8.
The 10 athletes include six former student-athletes, three former CU students and one current student. Of the six former student-athletes, three competed in track & field at CU with two competing in women's basketball and one in men's basketball. The other four consist of a track & field athlete, two sport climbers and one competing in the paratriathlon.
Seven of the 10 will compete for Team USA with two competing for Puerto Rico and one apiece competing from Germany and the United Kingdom.
The former student-athletes include:
Val Constien, now a two-time Olympian, first made her mark in the Tokyo Olympics by finishing 12th in the finals of the 3000-meter steeplechase. The Vail, Colorado native secured her spot in Paris by winning the 3000-meter steeplechase at the 2024 U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. A 2018 two-time All-American (Steeplechase, Cross Country), Constien graduated CU with a degree in Engineering.
Alina Hartmann played 31 games for the Buffs in the 2014-15 season before returning to Germany for the 2015-16 season. In her lone season in Boulder, she averaged 2.5 points per game, recording a season-high 11 points in 12 minutes off the bench in a 72-51 win over Washington State. Hartmann has played professionally in Germany, Australia, and Spain.
Mya Hollingshed played at CU from 2017 to 2022. The Houston, Texas native helped CU to a 22-9 record and a return to the NCAA Tournament in her final season. Hollingshed was a WBCA honorable mention All-American in 2022 and was selected No. 8 overall by the Las Vegas Aces in the 2022 WNBA Draft. She holds the Colorado program record for playing in 141 career games. Upon her departure, she ranked sixth in program history in scoring (1,681), sixth in field goals made (629), sixth in rebounding (911), ninth in three-point field goals made (164), ninth in blocks (118), and 10th in three-point field goal percentage (.339). Hollingshed became a naturalized citizen of Puerto Rico in 2022 and joined the Puerto Rican National Team at the 2022 FIBA Women's World Cup.
Morgan Pearson, a former seven-time All-American for the Buffs and Tokyo silver medalist, will make his second consecutive appearance at the Olympics in the triathlon. Pearson qualified by finishing sixth at the World Triathlon Olympic Games Test Event in Paris in August 2023. Pearson started triathlon in 2018 after winning age group nationals in 2017 as a rookie. Qualifying for the National team in his first year of the sport, he then became the first American male to qualify for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games thanks to an outstanding bronze at WTCS Yokohama, a result he quickly followed with silver at WTCS Leeds before running the USA Mixed Relay team to Olympic silver in Japan. He was one of the best indoor performers for the Buffs, finishing as a five-time indoor All-American. Pearson earned his degree in economics and mathematics.
Gabby Scott will represent Puerto Rico in the 400 meters. The former Buff held several of CU's outdoor and indoor records before they were broken over the past two years. In 2022, Scott made headlines by breaking Puerto Rico's national record in the 400 meters in Geneva, clocking in at 50.97 seconds. She became the first Puerto Rican to advance in the women's 400 meters at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene and was a two-time world semifinalist at the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships, achieving a time of 51.07 seconds. Scott secured a bronze medal at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games with a time of 51.51 seconds in the 400 meters.
Derrick White spent his entire collegiate career in the CU system, playing for the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs for three seasons before transferring to Boulder for his senior season and graduating from the Leeds School of Business. Due to transfer rules, he sat out one season but played the 2016-17 season, leading Colorado in scoring (18.8 ppg), assists (4.4), and steals (1.2), earning first-team All-Pac-12, All-Defensive, and All-Tournament team honors. A Division II All-American at UCCS, he averaged 22.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game as a junior and holds the UCCS career records for points (1,912) and assists (343). Drafted 29th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft by San Antonio, White was traded to the Boston Celtics in 2022. He helped the Celtics win the 2024 NBA Championship and has been named to the NBA All-Defense team each of the past two seasons. A native of Parker, Colorado, White attended Legend High School, where he earned all-state honors and averaged 19 points, five rebounds, and four assists for the Titans.
And the other students with ties to CU include:
Lizzie Bird is a British athlete who specializes in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She won the silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and bronze medals at the 2022 and 2024 European Athletics Championships. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Bird reached the final after finishing fifth in her heat. In the final, she broke the national record with a time of 9:19.68, placing ninth. Bird is the current British record-holder in the 3000 meters steeplechase with a time of 9:07.87 and is a two-time British national champion. She studied at Princeton University, graduating in Public and International Affairs in 2017, and later graduated from CU Law.
Colin Duffy, a current CU student in the Engineering program, became the youngest climber to qualify for the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo at age 17. Duffy is now a two-time Olympian, having qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Men's Boulder & Lead. The Broomfield native finished 2023 ranked #7 in the world in Men's Boulder & Lead and competed in the Tokyo Olympic Games, where he placed seventh in Men's Combined.
Natalia Grossman graduated from CU in 2022 and will participate in her second Olympic Games in sport climbing. She qualified for Paris 2024 by winning the Pan American Games Santiago in 2023 and she won a gold and silver medal in the 2021 World Championships. At the 2023 World Championships, she finished fifth in Bouldering and ninth in Bouldering & Lead combined.
Melissa Stockwell will be participating in her fourth Paralympic Games in Paris, having previously competed in 2008 in swimming and in 2016 and 2020 in paratriathlon. She graduated from CU in 2002 with a degree in Communication and was a bronze medalist in 2016. She is a 12-time world paratriathlon medalist, including four gold medals, and a four-time USA Paratriathlon National Champion, most recently in 2018. After graduating from CU in 2002, she was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army's transportation corps. One month after being deployed to Iraq in April 2004, she became the first female American soldier to lose a limb in active combat after her vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. She was honored with a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for her service. She became the first Iraq War veteran to qualify for the Paralympic Games in 2008 and was selected to be the flag bearer for Team USA at the Beijing closing ceremonies.
Buffs Olympic Schedule:
Sunday, July 28, 2024 | 1:00 pm MT – Women's Basketball – Hollingshed (Puerto Rico)– Group A – vs. Serbia – Watch: Digital Only (peacock)
Sunday, July 28, 2024 | 9:15 am MT – Men's Basketball – White (U.S.A.)– Group C – vs. Serbia – Watch: NBC, CH 751, Digital (peacock)
Monday, July 29, 2024 | 5:30 am MT -Women's Basketball – Hartmann (Germany)– Group C – vs. Belgium – Watch: Digital Only (peacock)
Tuesday, July 30, 2024 | 12:00 am MT – Men's Triathlon – Pearson (U.S.A.) – Watch: Digital Only (peacock)
Wednesday, July 31, 2024 | 3:00 am MT – Women's Basketball – Hollingshed (Puerto Rico)– Group A – vs Spain – Watch: Digital Only (peacock)
Thursday, August 1, 2024 | 3:00 am MT – Women's Basketball – Hartmann (Germany)- Group C – vs Japan – Watch: Digital Only (peacock)
Saturday, August 3, 2024 | 3:00 am MT – Women's Basketball – Hollingshed (Puerto Rico)- Group A – vs China – Watch: Digital Only (peacock)
Saturday, August 3, 2024 | 9:15 am MT – Men's Basketball – White (U.S.A.)- Group C- vs. Puerto Rico – Watch: Telemundo, NVC, Digital (peacock)
Sunday, August 4, 2024 | 9:15 am MT – Women's Basketball – Hartmann (Germany) – Group C- vs. U.S.A. – Watch: USA, Digital (peacock)
Sunday, August 4, 2024 | 2:05 am MT – Women's Track and Field (Round 1) – Constien - 3,000-m Steeplechase (U.S.A.)- Watch: Digital Only (peacock)
Sunday, August 4, 2024 | 2:05 am MT – Women's Track and Field (Round 1) – Bird - 3,000-m Steeplechase (U.K.)- Watch: Digital Only (peacock)
Monday, August 4, 2024 | 3:55 am MT – Women's Track and Field (Round 1) – Scott – 4OO-m – (Puerto Rico) – Watch: USA, Digital (peacock)
Monday, August 5, 2024 | 2:00 am MT – Men's Sports Climbing (Semifinal) – Duffy – Bouldering and Lead – Watch: Digital Only (peacock)
Tuesday, August 6, 2024 | 1:10 pm MT - Women's Track and Field (Final) – Constien - 3,000-m Steeplechase (U.S.A.)- Watch: Digital Only (peacock)
Tuesday, August 6, 2024 | 1:10 pm MT - Women's Track and Field (Final) – Bird - 3,000-m Steeplechase (U.K.)- Watch: Digital Only (peacock)
Tuesday, August 6, 2024 | 10:15 am MT – Women's Sports Climbing(Semifinal) – (Grossman) – Boulder – (U.S.A.) – Watch: Digital Only (peacock)
Wednesday, August 7, 2024 | 1:20 pm MT – Women's Track and Field (Semifinals) – Scott – 400-m – (Puerto Rico)- Watch: U.S.A., Digital (peacock)
Friday, August 9, 2024 | 2:15 am MT – Men's Sports Climbing (final) – Duffy – Bouldering and Lead – Watch: Digital Only (peacock)
Basketball Quarterfinals begin August 6 (men's) and August 7 (women's)
The Olympics will be broadcast on NBC and its family of networks, with streaming available online on peacock for every Olympic event. Fans can check the full schedule and event times at nbcolympics.com.
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