Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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ND SPORTS BY MATT JONES N otre Dame will have 10 athletes on the Olympic stage Aug. 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Here is an overview of who is competing, their ev en ts an d th eir home country: • M a r g a r e t Bamgbose, Track, Nigeria: An 11-time U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All- American, Bamg- bose will compete in the 400 meters in Rio after finish- ing with a bronze medal time of 52.27 seconds at the Nige- ria Olympic Trials July 8. • Molly Huddle, Track, USA: A 10- time All-American, the 31-year-old Huddle will compete in the 10,000 meters. Only one Amer- ican woman has won a medal in the 10,000 meters since it was added as a sport in 1996 — Shalane Flanagan, who received a bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games. • Melissa Tancredi, Soccer, Can- ada: The 34-year-old former Irish star was part of the bronze medal- winning team at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, where she scored four goals. • Natalie Achonwa, Basketball, Canada: The ninth overall pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft, Achonwa will com- pete for her home c o u n t r y i n R i o . She averaged 10.7 p o i n t s p e r g a m e during her Irish ca- reer. • Amanda Polk, Rowing, USA: The 2008 graduate of Notre Dame will row in Rio as the United States chases its 11th consecutive w o r l d / O l y m p i c title. • Mariel Zagunis, Fencing — Wom- en's Sabre, USA: Was the flag bearer of the United States at the 2012 Sum- mer Olympics' Parade of Nations. • Courtney Hurley, Fencing — Women's Epee, USA: The 25-year- old competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the women's epee, but was defeated in the second round. • Kelley Hurley, Fencing — Wom- en's Epee, USA: The 28-year-old was Irish Will Be Well Represented At The Summer Olympics Lee Kiefer, who competed for Notre Dame from 2012-15, put off her senior campaign in South Bend for a year to prepare for the 2016 Rio Games in an effort to improve upon her fifth-place showing in the women's foil in the 2012 London Games. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS