The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1523120
JULY/AUGUST 2024 ■ 49 NC State athletics is returning to the Olym- pics. As of late June, there were five former, current and incoming competitors represent- ing three countries set to take part in the Paris Games from July 26-Aug. 11. As it has since 1968 when Steve Rerych won two relay gold medals for the United States in Mexico City, swimming will lead the way with two women's and three men's participants. In addition, Wolfpack men's and women's coach Braden Holloway has been named to the Team USA coaching staff, a career-first for the former Wolfpack swim - mer who has guided eight men's and two women's ACC champions, 11 individual NCAA champions and seven NCAA relay champions. Five-time NCAA champ Katharine Berkoff became the first NC State swimmer to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team by finishing second in the 100-meter backstroke at the trials in Indianapolis in late June. Ryan Held, who won a gold medal in the 4x100 freestyle relay at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, returns after being left behind from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics three years ago because of novel COVID protocols, in which the U.S. took the top five finishers in the 100 freestyle instead of the top six. The 28-year-old former NCAA champion finished fifth in the 100 freestyle at the 2024 U.S. Tri - als in Indianapolis to secure his second bid. Two incoming freshmen from Hungary, Betti Fabian and David Betlehem, have both qualified for their respective 10,000-meter open-water swimming events, while Bartosz Piszczorowicz qualified for Poland's 400-me - ter medley relay squad. Former NC State women's basketball standout Aislinn Konig was in contention for a spot on Team Canada, with the possbility of becoming the first Wolfpack player to participate in the Olympics. Former NC State coach Kay Yow helped lead the U.S. team to Olympic gold as an assistant in 1984 and as the head coach in 1988. Her younger sister Susan, NC State's first All-America women's player, was an assistant on the 1988 team. At the time of publication, USA Track and Field had not completed its Olympic Trials. Current and former NC State athletes who were challenging for spots included distance runner Elly Henes; hurdler Gabriele Cun - ningham, who participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics; and hurdler Cameron Murray and his training partner Dylan Beard, who are both training at the Paul Derr Track under Wolfpack assistant coach Reuben McCoy. Katelyn Tuohy finished 12th in the wom - en's 5,000-meter race on June 24 and did not qualify for the Paris Games. — Tim Peeler NC State's 2024 Olympic Contingent Preparing For Paris NC State's All-Time Olympians Year Athlete/Coach Sport Country Medal 1968 Steve Rerych Swimming USA Gold (4x100m freestyle relay) Gold (4x200m freestyle relay) 1972 Tom Burleson Men's Basketball USA Silver 1976 Duncan Goodhew Swimming Great Britain — 1976 Kenny Carr Men's Basketball USA Gold 1976 Dan Harrigan Swimming USA Bronze (200m backstroke) 1976 Steve Gregg Swimming USA Silver (200m butterfly) 1980 Duncan Goodhew Swimming Great Britain Gold (100m breaststroke) Bronze (4x100m medley relay) 1984 Auguston Young Track Jamaica — 1984 Joan Benoit Track USA Gold (marathon) 1984 Rob Stull Modern Pentathlon USA — 1984 Kay Yow (asst. coach) Women's Basketball USA Gold 1988 Nikolaos Fokianos Swimming USA — 1988 Rob Stull Modern Pentathlon, Fencing USA — 1988 Kay Yow (head coach) Women's Basketball USA Gold 1988 Susan Yow (asst. coach) Women's Basketball USA Gold 1988 Agnes Gerlach Diving Hungary — 1988 Tab Ramos Soccer USA — 1992 Rob Stull Modern Pentathlon USA — 1992 Agnes Gerlach Diving Hungary — 1992 Dario Brose Soccer USA — 1992 Nick Paleocrassas Swimming Greece — 1996 Niti Intharapichai Swimming Thailand — 1996 Carlos Santander Swimming Venezuela — 1996 Ray Tanner (asst. coach) Baseball USA Bronze 1996 David Fox Swimming USA Gold (4x100m freestyle relay) 2000 Tom Gugliotta* Men's Basketball USA Gold 2008 Dan Velez Swimming Puerto Rico — 2008 Cullen Jones Swimming USA Gold (4x100m freestyle relay) 2008 Nate McMillan (asst. coach) Men's Basketball USA Gold 2012 Cullen Jones Swimming USA Gold (4x100m freestyle relay) Silver (50m freestyle) Silver (4x100m freestyle relay) 2012 Nate McMillan (asst. coach) Men's Basketball USA Gold 2012 Andreas Vazaios Swimming Greece — 2016 Soren Dahl Swimming Denmark — 2016 Anton Ipsen Swimming Denmark — 2016 Ryan Held Swimming USA Gold (4x100m freestyle relay) 2016 Simonas Bilis Swimming Lithuania — 2016 Lucas Kozeniesky Shooting USA Silver (mixed 10m air rifle team) 2016 Sophie Hansson Swimming Sweden — 2016 Andreas Vazaios Swimming Greece — 2020 Sophie Hansson Swimming Sweden — 2020 Simonas Bilis Swimming Lithuania — 2020 Nyls Korstanje Swimming Netherlands — 2020 Anton Ipsen Swimming Denmark — 2020 Sophie Hansson Swimming Sweden — 2020 Alexander Norgaard Swimming Denmark — 2020 Andrea Podmanikova Swimming Slovakia — 2020 Noe Ponti Swimming Switzerland Bronze (100m butterfly) 2020 Kacper Stokowski Swimming Poland — 2020 Andreas Vazaios Swimming Greece — 2020 Tatyana Forbes Softball Mexico — 2020 Gabriele Cunningham Track USA — 2020 Luka Slabe (asst. coach) Women's Volleyball USA Gold 2024 Katharine Berkoff Swimming USA 2024 Ryan Held Swimming USA 2024 Bartosz Piszczorowicz Swimming Poland 2024 Betti Fabian Swimming Hungary 2024 David Betlehem Swimming Hungary 2024 Braden Holloway (asst. coach) Swimming USA * Did not compete due to injury