MPSF Accumulates 59 Medals in Paris Olympics

MPSF Accumulates 59 Medals in Paris Olympics

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Current and former athletes and coaches with roots to the MPSF achieved 59 medals in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, which included nine gold, 14 silver, and 36 bronze medals, combined across 22 universities, 19 nations, and 13 sports which featured the conference in the 33rd Olympiad. The 59 medals earned are the fourth-most across all NCAA Conferences (according to ncaa.org on August 12), and surpasses the 35 medals won in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
 
The MPSF Gold Medalists included former Stanford weight throw first team All-American Valarie Allman (USA), repeating her discus title (69.50) from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In a stunning come-from-behind effort on the track, former Oregon standout Cole Hocker (USA) took down the defending champion’s all-time Olympic record to win the 1500 meter (3:27.65). Camryn Rogers (Canada) became the first track & field athlete from the University of California (MPSF Indoor Throws, 2018-21) to win an Olympic Gold since 1972, taking first-place in the hammer throw.
 
UC Irvine’s Kevin Tillie (France), who won back-to-back NCAA titles (2012-13) while the Anteaters competed in MPSF Men’s Volleyball, earned a gold with his nation’s 3-0 result over top-ranked Poland.
 
Among MPSF ties, USC won five of the MPSF’s nine gold medals. Rai Benjamin (USA) was the MPSF’s lone double gold medalist, taking titles in the 400 hurdles and 4x400 relays. Fellow former Trojans Twanisha Terry (USA) and Andre De Grasse (Canada) ran for first-place 4x100 relay teams, while Spain’s Anni Espar captured a gold in women’s water polo.
 
The silver medalists for the MPSF included the mixed triathlon pair of Cal Poly’s Taylor Spivey (2009-14) and Colorado’s Morgan Pearson (2013-16) as part of the United States quartet. Spivey, making her Olympic debut, swam for Cal Poly in the initial years of MPSF Swimming & Diving. She also registered a top-10 individual triathlon finish while in Paris. Pearson was an All-American distance athlete for Colorado, and recorded a pair of Podium results during his career in the MPSF Men’s Indoor Track & Field Championships. Former BYU distance runner Kenneth Rooks placed second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, becoming the third American male to medal in the event since 1984.
 
The USA Artistic Swimming team also took home the silver, a squad which included incoming Stanford competitors Audrey Kwon, Megumi Field, and Calista Liu. A member of the MPSF’s first-ever conference championship team in 2022, former Cardinal Jacklyn Luu also participated. 
 
Sienna Green and Bronte Halligan of UCLA, and Tilly Kearns of USC, helped Australia to a silver medal in women’s water polo. Green and Kearns are current student-athletes in the MPSF.
 
On the final day of the Olympics, USA Women’s Volleyball earned the silver, with Marv Dunphy (former Pepperdine Head Coach) and Alfee Reft (former Hawaii Men’s Volleyball player) on staff.
 
The MPSF Olympic Bronze Medals were highlighted by current Stanford Men’s Gymnast Asher Hong and former Cardinal Brody Malone, competing on the first USA team with a podium finish since 2008. Hong and Malone have combined to earn the last six MPSF Gymnast of the Year awards, with Hong honored the last two years (2023-24) and Malone the previous four (2019-22).
 
The USA Men’s Water Polo team, which also medaled for the first time since 2008 by virtue of outlasting Hungary in a penalty shootout, was made up of a roster featuring all 13 athletes plus one coach with an MPSF connection. Included in that mix were brothers Chase (current) and Ryder Dodd (incoming) of UCLA.
 
Former Stanford student-athlete Grant Fisher, who broke the U.S. Collegiate Indoor 3,000-meter record while competing in MPSF Men’s Indoor Track & Field in 2019, took third-place in both the 10,000 and 5,000-meter. He became just the second American to medal in the 10,000 since 1964, and was one of three former MPSF athletes to double-medal. Along with Fisher and Benjamin, Nicole Yeargin (Great Britain) took home multiple medals, with a third-place and national record 4x400 mixed relay as well as a bronze in the 4x400 relay.
 
Current MPSF staff members who served as head coaches for United States bronze medal teams include back-to-back NCAA Champion (2023-24) John Speraw of UCLA, leading a second bronze in the last three Olympic Games, and University of Washington Head Coach Michael Callahan who led the men’s eight boat to its first Olympic rowing medal in 16 years.
 
The MPSF was represented in Paris by 138 athletes and coaches with current or former ties to the 32-year-old NCAA Conference, including 123 athletes and 15 coaches. According to ncaa.org (as of August 11), the 123 athletes and 138 total conference representatives placed the MPSF fourth across the NCAA in the 33rd Olympiad. Eight of the nineteen current or incoming MPSF student-athletes who were 2024 Olympians brought home a medal. 2024 MPSF Olympians combined for 87 NCAA Championships (led by Stanford with 25), including four in the most recent 2023-24 year. Of the 22 MPSF schools featured in the Olympics, and within the MPSF footprint, Stanford totaled a high of 16 medals. USC and UCLA were next in line with 12 and 10, respectively.
 
Men’s Water Polo, along with men’s volleyball, men’s gymnastics, and men’s and women’s indoor track & field, are the five sports the MPSF has sponsored since the inception of the conference, each of which featured numerous MPSF Olympians. Further MPSF Olympic Information, including medal results, may be found on the conference website (mpsports.org) and on social media (@MPSFSports).
 
MPSF IN 2024 PARIS OLYMPICS
 
TOTAL MEDALS: 59
Gold: 9
Silver: 14
Bronze: 36

 
*Current/Incoming MPSF Student-Athlete
# Current MPSF Coach

 
 
                                               
School                                     MPSF Sport                                                          Country
                                                                                                  
Arizona
 
Gia Trevisan                             Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2014-16)                Italy
Result: 6th (4x400 Mixed Relay)
 
Karolina Pahlitzsch                   Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2017-19)                Germany
 
Edgar Rivera-Morales               Men’s Indoor Track & Field (2010-13)                     Mexico                                                                                               

Arizona State (Bronze-2)
 
Bente Rogge                            Women’s Water Polo (2017-21)                               Netherlands
Medal: Bronze
                                               
Lieke Rogge                             Women’s Water Polo (2019)                                    Netherlands                                                          
Medal: Bronze
 
Blaire McDowell                        Women’s Water Polo (2019-22)                              Canada
Result: 8th                               
 
Mia Rycraw                              Women’s Water Polo (2014-18)                              France   
 
Beatrice Llano                           Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2018-19)               Norway
Result: 15th (Hammer Throw)   
 
BYU (Silver-1, Bronze-1)
 
Courtney Wayment                   Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2016-22)                USA
Result: 12th (3,000 Steeplechase)
 
Whittni Morgan                         Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2017-21)                USA
Result: 14th (5,000)
 
James Corrigan                        Men’s Indoor Track & Field (2022)                          USA
 
Clayton Young                          Men’s Indoor Track & Field (2015-18)                     USA
Result: 9th (Marathon)
 
Kenneth Rooks                         Men’s Indoor Track & Field (2019-23)                     USA
Medal: Silver (3,000 Steeplechase)
 
Conner Mantz                           Men’s Indoor Track & Field (2017-21)                      USA
Result: 8th (Marathon)
                                               
Rory Linkletter                          Men’s Indoor Track & Field (2014-19)                     Canada
Result: 47th (Marathon)
 
Mike Wall                                 Men’s Volleyball (1999-02)                                      USA (Assistant Coach)
Medal: Bronze
 
Cal Poly (Silver-1)
 
Taylor Spivey                            Women’s Swimming (2009-14)                               USA
Medal: Silver (Mixed Relay Triathlon)
Result: 10th (Individual)
 
California (Gold-1, Bronze-4)
 
Camryn Rogers                        Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2018-21)                Canada
Medal: Gold (Hammer Throw)
                                               
Kitty Lynn Joustra                     Women’s Water Polo (2018-21)                             Netherlands
Medal: Bronze
 
Emma Wright                           Women’s Water Polo (2017-19)                              Canada
Result: 8th                               
 
Kindred Paul                             Women’s Water Polo (2015-18)                              Canada
Result: 8th                               
 
Luca Cupido                             Men’s Water Polo (2014-17)                                   USA
Medal: Bronze
 
Johnny Hooper                          Men’s Water Polo (2015-18)                                   USA
Medal: Bronze
 
Adrian Weinberg                       Men’s Water Polo (2019-23)                                   USA
Medal: Bronze
 
Nikolaos Papanikolaou              Men’s Water Polo (2019-23)                                   Greece
Result: 5th                               
 
*Angus Dawson                        Men’s Rowing (2020-Present)                                Australia
Result: 6th (Men’s Eight)
 
*Frederik Breuer                        Men’s Rowing (2021-Present)                                Germany
Result: 4th (Men’s Eight)
 
*Tim Roth                                 Men’s Rowing (2022-Present)                                 Switzerland
Result: 9th (Men’s Four)           
 
*Gennaro di Mauro                    Men’s Rowing (2022-Present)                                 Italy
 
Chris Oeding                            Men’s Water Polo (1989-92)                                   USA (WWP Coach)                          
Result: 4th
 
Colorado (Silver-1)
 
Val Constien                             Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2014-18)                USA
Result: 15th (3,000 Steeplechase)
 
Gabby Scott                             Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2016-19)                Puerto Rico                                        
 
Morgan Pearson                       Men’s Indoor Track & Field (2013-16)                      USA
Medal: Silver (Mixed Relay Triathlon)
Result: 31st (individual)
 
Hawaii (Silver-1, Bronze-1)
 
Taylor Averill                            Men’s Volleyball (2011-15)                                        USA
Medal: Bronze
 
Alfee Reft                                 Men’s Volleyball (2004-06)                                       USA (Women’s VB Coach)
Medal: Silver
 
Micah Masei                             Men’s Swimming & Diving (2017-21)                       American Samoa
Result: 34th (100 breast)
 
Kane Follows                            Men’s Swimming & Diving (2016-20)                       New Zealand
Result: 21st (200 back)
33rd (100 back)
 
Laticia Transom                        Women’s Swimming & Diving (2023)                       New Zealand
Result: 8th (4x200 Free Relay)
 
Long Beach State (Bronze-2)
 
TJ DeFalco                               Men’s Volleyball (2016-19)                                     USA
Medal: Bronze
 
Gavin Arroyo                            Men’s Water Polo Head Coach (2006-Present)        USA (Assistant Coach)
                                                Men’s Water Polo Athlete (California-1990-93)
Medal: Bronze
 
# LaTanya Sheffield                  Track & Field Head Coach (2013-Present)              USA (Head Coach)
 
Oklahoma
 
*Emre Dodanli                           Men’s Gymnastics (2022-Present)                          Turkey
 
Oregon (Gold-1)
 
Cole Hocker                             Men’s Indoor Track & Field (2019-21)                      USA
Medal: Gold (1500)                 
 
Kyree King                                Men’s Indoor Track & Field (2017)                          USA
 
Alaysha Johnson                       Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2014-18)                USA
Result: 7th (100 Hurdles)
 
Pacific (Bronze-1)
 
Alex Obert                                Men’s Water Polo (2010-15)                                   USA
Medal: Bronze
 
Pepperdine (Silver-1)
 
Marv Dunphy                            Men’s Volleyball Head Coach (1977-2017)              USA (WVB Consultant)                                
Medal: Silver
 
Portland
 
Anne Luijten                             Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2014-17)               Netherlands
Result: 35th (Marathon)
 
Woody Kincaid                          Men’s Indoor Track & Field (2011-15)                     USA
Result: 16th (10,000)
 
San Francisco
 
Lea Meyer                                Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2018)                     Germany
Result: 10th (3,000 Steeplechase)
 
San Jose State
 
Rae Lekness                            Women’s Water Polo (2013-16)                              Canada
Result: 8th                               
 
Stanford (Gold-1, Silver-5, Bronze-10)
 
Jacklyn Luu                              Artistic Swimming (2017-22)                                   USA
Medal: Silver (Team)
 
*Megumi Field                           Artistic Swimming (Incoming)                                  USA
Medal: Silver (Team)
Result: 10th (Duet)
 
*Audrey Kwon                           Artistic Swimming (Incoming)                                  USA
Medal: Silver (Team)
 
*Calista Liu                               Artistic Swimming (Incoming)                                 USA
Medal: Silver (Team)
 
*Ryann Neushul                        Women’s Water Polo (2018-Present)                      USA
Result: 4th
 
*Jenna Flynn                            Women’s Water Polo (2023-Present)                      USA      
Result: 4th
                                                                                                                            
Jordan Raney                           Women’s Water Polo (2015-18)                              USA      
Result: 4th
                                               
*Jewel Roemer                         Women’s Water Polo (2020-Present)                      USA
Result: 4th
 
Maggie Steffens                        Women’s Water Polo (2013-17)                              USA
Result: 4th
 
Dani Jackovich                         Women’s Water Polo (2014-17)                              Australia
Medal: Silver
 
*Serena Browne                        Women’s Water Polo (2023-Present)                      Canada
Result: 8th                               
 
*Juliette Dhalluin                       Women’s Water Polo (Incoming)                             France   
 
Valarie Allman                           Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2015-18)                USA
Medal: Gold (Discus)              
 
Elise Cranny                             Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2014-19)                USA
Result: 11th (5,000)
 
Fiona O’Keeffe                          Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2016-20)                USA
 
Malindi Elmore                          Women’s Indoor Track & Field (1999-02)                Canada
Result: 35th (Marathon)
 
Katerina Stefanidi                      Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2010-12)               Greece                                               
Result: 9th (Pole Vault)             
 
Grant Fisher                             Men’s Indoor Track & Field (2015-19)                     USA
Medal: Bronze (10,000)
Medal: Bronze (5,000)
 
Harrison Williams                      Men’s Indoor Track & Field (2015-19)                     USA
Result: 7th (Decathlon)
 
Brody Malone                            Men’s Gymnastics (2019-23)                                  USA   
Medal: Bronze (Team)            
 
*Asher Hong                             Men’s Gymnastics (2023-Present)                          USA   
Medal: Bronze (Team)            
                                               
Erik Shoji                                  Men’s Volleyball (2008-12)                                     USA
Medal: Bronze
 
Justin Lui                                  Men’s Volleyball (2019-23)                                     Canada 
 
Ben Hallock                              Men’s Water Polo (2015-19)                                   USA
Medal: Bronze
 
Dylan Woodhead                       Men’s Water Polo (2015-19)                                   USA
Medal: Bronze
 
Drew Holland                            Men’s Water Polo (2012-17)                                   USA
Medal: Bronze
 
Alex Bowen                               Men’s Water Polo (2010-14)                                   USA
Medal: Bronze
 
Edrick Floreal                            Indoor Track & Field Head Coach (1998-2012)        St. Lucia (Head Coach)
 
# Megan Abarca                       Artistic Swimming Head Coach (2012-Present)        USA (Assistant Coach)
 
Matt Fuerbringer                       Men’s Volleyball (1994-97)                                     USA (Assistant Coach)
Medal: Bronze
 
UC Irvine (Gold-1, Bronze-1)
 
David Smith                              Men’s Volleyball (2003-07)                                     USA
Medal: Bronze
 
Kevin Tillie                                Men’s Volleyball (2012-13)                                     France
Medal: Gold
 
Thomas Hodges                       Men’s Volleyball (2015-17)                                     Australia (Beach Volleyball)
                                                                                               
UCLA (Silver-2, Bronze-8)
                                               
Rachel Fattal                            Women’s Water Polo (2013-17)                              USA      
Result: 4th
                                               
Maddie Musselman                   Women’s Water Polo (2017-22)                              USA
Result: 4th
 
Tara Prentice                            Women’s Water Polo (2017)                                   USA
Result: 4th
 
*Sienna Green                          Women’s Water Polo (2023-Present)                      Australia
Medal: Silver
                                                                                               
Bronte Halligan                         Women’s Water Polo (2017-19)                              Australia
Medal: Silver
 
Max Irving                                Men’s Water Polo (2014-17)                                   USA
Medal: Bronze
 
*Chase Dodd                            Men’s Water Polo (2021-Present)                           USA
Medal: Bronze
 
*Ryder Dodd                             Men’s Water Polo (Incoming)                                  USA
Medal: Bronze
 
Sondre Guttormsen                   Men’s Indoor Track & Field (2019)                          Norway
Result: 8th (Pole Vault)
 
Stamatia Scarvelis                    Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2016)                     Greece
                                               
Garrett Muagututia                    Men’s Volleyball (2007-10)                                     USA
Medal: Bronze
 
Micah Ma’a                               Men’s Volleyball (2015-19)                                     USA
Medal: Bronze
 
Miles Partain                             Men’s Volleyball (2020-22)                                     USA (Beach Volleyball)                          
Result: Quarterfinal
 
# Jon Speraw                            Men’s Volleyball Head Coach (2013-Present)          USA (Head Coach)
                                                Men’s Volleyball Head Coach (UCI, 2003-12)
                                                Men’s Volleyball Assistant Coach (1996-02)                         
                                                Men’s Volleyball Athlete (1992-95)
Medal: Bronze
 
Adam Krikorian                         Women’s Water Polo Head Coach (1999-09)           USA (Head Coach)
                                                Men’s Water Polo Athlete (1992-95)
Result: 4th
                                                                                                                            
Molly Cahill                               Women’s Water Polo Assistant Coach (2008-17)     USA (Assistant Coach)
                                                Women’s Water Polo Athlete (2004-07)
Result: 4th
 
Erik Sullivan                              Men’s Volleyball (1992-95)                                     USA (Team Manager)
Medal: Bronze

                                                 
Andrea Becker                          Men’s Volleyball (2013-15)                                     USA (Mental Performance)
                                                Men’s Volleyball (UCI, 2012)
Medal: Bronze
                                               
UC Santa Barbara
 
Miles Evans                              Men’s Volleyball (2011-13)                                     USA (Beach Volleyball)
Result: Round of 16
 
USC (Gold-5, Silver-2, Bronze-5)
 
Anna Cockrell                           Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2017-21)                USA
Medal: Silver (400 Hurdles)
 
Kendall Ellis                              Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2014-18)                USA   
 
Twanisha Terry                         Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2018-21)                USA
Medal: Gold (4x100 Relay)
Result: 5th (100)
 
Kyra Constantine                      Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2017-21)                Canada
Result: 6th (4x400 Relay)
 
Nicole Yeargin                          Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2020-21)                Great Britain
Medal: Bronze (4x400 Mixed Relay)                                        
Medal: Bronze (4x400 Relay)
 
Amalie Iuel                               Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2014-17)                Norway
 
Lanae-Tava Thomas                 Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2019-21)                Jamaica
 
Ayden Owens-Delerme             Men’s Indoor Track & Field (2019)                          Puerto Rico
Result: 9th (Decathlon)
 
Rai Benjamin                            Men’s Indoor Track & Field (2017-18)                     USA
Medal: Gold (400 Hurdles)                                                                                                 
Medal: Gold (4x400 Relay)
 
Michael Norman                        Men’s Indoor Track & Field (2016-18)                     USA      
Result: 8th (400M)
                                               
Andre De Grasse                      Men’s Indoor Track & Field (2015-16)                     Canada
Medal: Gold (4x100 Relay)
Result: 12th (100)
 
Tade Ojora                               Men’s Indoor Track & Field (2019-23)                     Great Britain
                                                                                               
*Tilly Kearns                             Women’s Water Polo (2019-Present)                      Australia
Medal: Silver
 
Verica Bakoc                            Women’s Water Polo (2018-21)                              Canada
Result: 8th                               
 
Hayley McKelvey                      Women’s Water Polo (2015-18)                              Canada
Result: 8th                               
 
Amanda Longan                        Women’s Water Polo (2016-19)                              USA
Result: 4th
 
Kaleigh Gilchrist                       Women’s Water Polo (2011-14)                              USA
Result: 4th
 
*Emily Ausmus                         Women’s Water Polo (Incoming)                              USA      
Result: 4th
 
Anni Espar                                Women’s Water Polo (2013)                                   Spain     
Medal: Gold
 
Blake Edwards                          Men’s Water Polo (2015-17)                                   Australia
Result: 8th
 
Lachlan Edwards                      Men’s Water Polo (2014-17)                                   Australia
Result: 8th
 
Nic Porter                                 Men’s Water Polo (2018-21)                                   Australia
Result: 8th
 
Jacob Mercep                           Men’s Water Polo (2018-21)                                   Australia
Result: 8th
 
Kostas Genidounias                  Men’s Water Polo (2011-14)                                   Greece
Result: 5th
                                                                                               
Hannes Daube                          Men’s Water Polo (2018-21)                                   USA
Medal: Bronze
 
Marko Vavic                             Men’s Water Polo (2017-18)                                   USA
Medal: Bronze
 
Micah Christenson                    Men’s Volleyball (2011-15)                                     USA
Medal: Bronze
 
Izac Carracher                          Men’s Volleyball (2019)                                          Australia (Beach Volleyball)
 
Andy Benesh                            Men’s Volleyball (2013-17)                                      USA (Beach Volleyball)                          
Result: Quarterfinal
 
Washington (Bronze-1)
 
Gianna Woodruff                       Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2012-15)                Panama 
 
Izzi Batt-Doyle                          Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2016-19)                Australia
 
Sam Tanner                              Men’s Indoor Track & Field (2019-21)                     New Zealand
                                               
# Michael Callahan                    Men’s Rowing Head Coach (2008-Present)             USA (Coach)
Medal: Bronze (Men’s Eight)  
 
Washington State
 
CJ Allen                                    Men’s Indoor Track & Field (2013-17)                     USA
 
Jasneet Nijjar                            Women’s Indoor Track & Field (2019-22)                Canada