Stanford Well Represented At 2012 London Olympics

38 Stanford-affiliated athletes and coaches head to London this summer

	U.S. women's water polo team captain Brenda Villa will compete at her fourth Olympics this summer in London

July 20, 2012

Stanford Olympic Page

STANFORD, Calif. -A total of 38 Stanford-affiliated athletes (37) and a coach (one) will participate at the Games of the XXX Olympiad set for July 25-Aug. 12 in London, England.

The Olympic competition begins July 25 as women's soccer kicks off. Opening Ceremonies for the Games will take place Friday, July 27.

The 38 Cardinal associates will represent a total of eight countries in London. Twenty-seven Stanford athletes and one coach will represent the United States, followed by Canada (three), Kenya (two) and Austria, Bermuda, Greece, New Zealand and Nigeria each with one athlete.

Of the 37 Stanford-affiliated athletes headed to London, five are current student-athletes.

At the Beijing Games in 2008, 49 Stanford athletes combined to win 25 medals, including eight gold, 13 silver and four bronze. The 25 medals set the record for most won by Stanford athletes at a single Olympics, eclipsing the former mark of 20 established at the 1924 Paris Games. The total haul also exceeded that of all but 11 nations that competed in Beijing, tying for 11th with Japan at 25 medals.

Stanford will be most represented in the water-based sports in London, with 22 athletes and one coach participating in the sports of water polo (nine), rowing (five), swimming (four), diving (three) and synchronized swimming (one).

Additional sports featuring Stanford-affiliated athletes include track and field (five), soccer (four), indoor volleyball (two), tennis (two), beach volleyball (one), gymnastics (one) and wrestling (one).

The nine Cardinal water polo players representing both U.S. men's and women's water polo is the most of any school. Women's team captain Brenda Villa '03 will play in her fourth Olympics this summer, joined by alumna Jessica Steffens '10 in her second Olympics and current Cardinal athletes Annika Dries '14, Melissa Seidemann '13 and Maggie Steffens '16 making their debuts. On the men's side, the quartet of team captain Tony Azevedo '05, Layne Beaubien '99, Peter Hudnut '03 and Peter Varellas'06 returns for the second straight Olympics. For Azevedo, it is his fourth straight Olympic appearance and for Beaubien his third in a row.

Four of Stanford's international Olympians will compete in the swimming lanes, headlined by Austria's Markus Rogan'04 (200-meter individual medley, 4x200-meter freestyle relay), who won a pair of silver medals at the 2004 Athens Games. Competing in his fourth Olympic Games, Rogan will carry the Austrian flag into next Friday's opening ceremony in London.

The Dunford Brothers, David '10 (50-meter and 100-meter freestyles) and Jason '09 (100-meter butterfly), representing Kenya, and Tobias Oriwol'06 (200-meter backstroke, 4x200-meter freestyle relay) of Canada will all compete in their second straight Olympics.

Sophomore diver Kristian Ipsen `15, the reigning Pac-12 Men's Diving Freshman of the Year, will compete in 3-meter synchronized diving with partner Troy Dumais, while Cassidy Krug will compete in the women's 3-meter springboard in London. Both American divers will be coached in London by current Stanford head diving coach Dr. Rick Schavone.

Maria Koroleva '12 will compete for the U.S. in the synchronized swimming duet competition with Mary Killman. Former Stanford synchronized swimming head coach Heather Olsen will serve as analyst for NBC's synchro coverage.

Stanford men's rowing boasts four U.S. Olympians, the most of any program on the American squad. David Banks'05 and Jake Cornelius '05 will row with the U.S. eight, Alex Osborne '09 will be part of the U.S. quadruple sculls crew and Silas Stafford '08 teams up with Tom Peszek as the U.S. men's pair entry. Banks will be competing in his second straight Olympics.

On the women's side, Elle Logan'11 will row with the U.S. eight for the second straight Olympics, attempting to help the boat defend its 2008 Olympic Gold Medal. Stanford women's rowing head coach Yasmin Farooq will also be in the booth for NBC serving as its rowing analyst for the fourth straight Olympics.

Out on the track, Stanford will be represented by two-time U.S. Olympians Jillian Camarena-Williams '04 (shot put) and marathoner Ryan Hall '05, along with two-time Olympian Arantxa King'11 (long jump) of Bermuda and first-timers Amaechi Morton '12 (400-meter hurdles) of Nigeria and Katerina Stefanidi '12 (pole vault) of Greece.

Former Stanford Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field Edrick Floreal will serve as jumps coach for the U.S. Track and Field Team in London.

U.S. women's national teamers Rachel Buehler '08 and Nicole Barnhart '05 return to the soccer pitch for their second straight Olympics joined by Kelley O'Hara '11 as the American side goes for its third straight gold medal. Ali Riley'11 will appear in her second Olympics, playing for New Zealand.

Christen Press '11 was named an alternate for the U.S. team in May.

The men's tennis doubles draw will feature the U.S. duo of twin brothers Bob and Mike Bryan'98 making its third Olympic appearance in London. The Bryans, who captured bronze four years ago in Beijing, enter the draw as the second-ranked doubles team in the world, according to the latest ATP rankings.

Kerri Walsh'00 will make her fourth Olympic appearance in London, and third on the beach, partnering up once again with Misty May-Treanor in search of a third consecutive gold medal. Walsh played for the U.S. indoor volleyball team at the 2000 Sydney Games.

Stanford will also be represented on the U.S. indoor team in London, as Logan Tom'03 makes her fourth Olympic appearance and is joined by first-timer Foluke Akinradewo '09 as the U.S. aims for gold after capturing silver four years ago in Beijing.

In wrestling, Matt Gentry'05 will represent Canada in the freestyle 74-kg class for the second straight Olympics. Gentry, Stanford's only NCAA champion, qualified for London in March by winning gold at the Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament.

Also representing Canada will be sophomore women's gymnast Kristina Vaculik, who was named to the Canadian team in June. At the Canadian Olympic Trials Vaculik won the uneven bars and finished second in the beam and the all-around competition.

Stanford graduate Don Roberts, M.D., who earned a bachelor's degree in human biology on The Farm and later his M.D. from the Stanford School of Medicine, will serve as the team physician for the USA Basketball Men's Olympic Team in London.

Stanford's 2012 Olympic Roster

DIVING -- Men
Kristian Ipsen '15 (USA), 3M Synchro

DIVING -- Women
Cassidy Krug '07 (USA), 3M

GYMNASTICS -- Women
Kristina Vaculik '15 (Canada), Artistic

ROWING -- Men
David Banks '05 (USA)**, Eight (8+)
Jake Cornelius '05 (USA), Eight (8+)
Alex Osborne '09 (USA), Quadruple Sculls (4x)
Silas Stafford '08 (USA), Pair (2-)

ROWING -- Women
Elle Logan'11** (USA), Eight (8+)

SOCCER - Women 
Nicole Barnhart '04** (USA)
Rachel Buehler '07** (USA)
Kelley O'Hara '10 (USA)
Ali Riley'10** (New Zealand)

SWIMMING - Men 
David Dunford '10** (Kenya), 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle
Jason Dunford '09** (Kenya), 100m butterfly
Tobias Oriowol '06** (Canada), 200m backstroke, 4x200m freestyle relay
Markus Rogan'04#*** (Austria), 200m IM, 4x200m freestyle relay

SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING 
Maria Koroleva '15 (USA), Duet

TENNIS - Men
Bob Bryan '98*** (USA), Doubles
Mike Bryan'98*** (USA), Doubles

TRACK AND FIELD - Men
Ryan Hall '05** (USA), Marathon
Amaechi Morton '12 (Nigeria), 400m Hurdles

TRACK AND FIELD - Women 
Aranxta King '12** (Bermuda), Long Jump 

Katerina Stefanidi '12 (Greece), Pole Vault 
Jillian Camarena-Williams** '04 (USA), Shot Put

VOLLEYBALL, BEACH -- Women
Kerri Walsh'00**** (USA)

VOLLEYBALL -- Women
Foluke Akinradewo '09 (USA)
Logan Tom'03**** (USA)

WATER POLO - Men 
Tony Azevedo '05**** (USA)
Layne Beaubien '99*** (USA)
Peter Hudnut '03** (USA)
Peter Varellas'06** (USA)

WATER POLO - Women 
Annika Dries '14 (USA) 
Melissa Seidemann '13 (USA)
Jessica Steffens '10** (USA)
Maggie Steffens '16 (USA)
Brenda Villa'03**** (USA)

WRESTLING
Matt Gentry'05** (Canada), 74 kg Freestyle

COACHES
Rick Schavone, USA Assistant Diving Coach

Current student-athletes in BOLD
# - Flag Bearer at Opening Ceremonies
** - Making second Olympic appearance
*** - Making third Olympic appearance
**** - Making fourth Olympic appearance