ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — 11 current and former student athletes from the University of Virginia (UVA) are heading to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games.
The athletes, who come from all over the U.S., as well as one from New Zealand, will be competing in track and field, soccer, swimming and tennis events.
- Danielle Collins, a tennis player and two-time NCAA singles title winner who is competing in women’s singles and women’s doubles, attended UVA from 2013 to 2016.
- Emma Navarro, a tennis player and one-time NCAA singles title winner who is competing in women’s singles, attended UVA from 2020 to 2022.
- Bridget Williams, a pole vaulter, attended UVA from 2015 to 2019.
- Kate Douglass, a swimmer who won the bronze medal in the 200m individual medley at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and is competing in the 100m freestyle, 200m breaststroke and 200m individual medley in Paris, attended UVA from 2019 to 2023.
- Paige Madden, a swimmer who was part of the silver medal-winning 2x400m freestyle relay at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and is competing in the 400m freestyle and 800m freestyle in Paris, attended UVA from 2017 to 2021.
- Alex Walsh, a swimmer with several NCAA titles who won silver in the 200m individual medley at the 2020 Olympics and will competing in the same event in Paris, attended UVA from 2020 to 2024.
- Gretchen Walsh, a swimmer and Alex Walsh’s younger sister who will be competing in the 100m butterfly, attended UVA from 2020 to 2024.
- Emma Weber, a swimmer who will be competing in the 100m breaststroke, has attended UVA since 2022.
- Thomas Heilman, a swimmer who will be competing in the 100m and 200m butterfly, will begin attending UVA this fall.
- Emily Sonnett, a soccer player who played for Team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as a defender and will appear on Team USA again in Paris, attended UVA from 2012 to 2015.
- Joe Bell, a soccer player who will play for Team New Zealand as a midfielder, attended UVA from 2017 to 2019.
The 2024 Olympic Games begin on Friday, July 26 and end on Sunday, Aug. 11.