Olympics

Meet the Pennsylvania athletes who will compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics

Pennlive.Com
Pennlive.Com
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AP
Bridget Williams competes in the women’s pole vault final during the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Ore.
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AP
Spencer Lee reacts after defeating Thomas Gilman during a 57-kilogram match at the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials in State College. Lee won the bout 8-2.
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Josh Matheny reacts after a Men’s 200 Breaststroke semifinals heat at the US Swimming Olympic Trials in Indianapolis.

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The 2024 Olympic Games are set to begin in Paris this week and Pennsylvania has a ton of elite athletes representing Team USA in multiple events.

Check out the list below to see where each Olympic athlete is from and what events they will be competing in. Did we miss a Pa. athlete? Email eeplerpennlive.com and PennLive will update.

2024 Paris Olympians from Pennsylvania

Field hockey

Emma DeBerdine

Hometown: Millersville

Notes: A former PennLive Player of the Year, DeBerdine left a tremendous legacy at Penn Manor High School before starring at the University of Maryland. A longtime member of the US Women’s National Team, DeBerdine made her debut for the U21 team in 2016 at the FIH Junior World Cup in Santiago, Chile. The All-Big Ten and All-America midfielder helped Team USA won silver earlier this year in the Olympic qualifier in India.

Brooke DeBerdine

Hometown: Millersville

Notes: Like her sister, DeBerdine was named to the U.S. Women’s National Team last June. She previously competed in Belgium with the U17 squad, in Germany as a member of the U19 team, and England in 2017 with Team USA’s U21 team. The midfielder also starred at Maryland, gaining first-team All-American honors among other accolades. DeBerdine, a member of the FIH Pro League for three seasons, earned her 50th cap on June 6 against Great Britain.

Phia Gladieux

Hometown: Oley

Notes: Gladieux pieced together a brilliant career at Oley Valley, where the offensive catalyst was a four-time All-State selection and three-time All-American. Taking her talents to Penn State, Gladieux was tagged Big Ten player of the year in 2022 before training with the U.S. Women’s National Team a year later. Named to the team in 2024, Gladieux recorded her first cap in May against Belgium.

Ashley Hoffman

Hometown: Mohnton

Notes: Among the most experienced members of Team USA, Hoffman first represented her country on the junior national team in 2014, competing in the Youth Olympic Games in Montevideo, Uruguay. The midfielder/defender would also compete at the 2016 Junior Pan American Cup and Junior World Cup during her time at Twin Valley HS. Hoffman eventually starred at North Carolina, where she won the prestigious Honda Sports Award (2019) as the nation’s best female field hockey player. Her mom and coach won a bronze medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

Karlie Kisha

Hometown: Hamburg

Notes: A 2014 graduate of Hamburg Area High School, Kisha continued to flourish at Connecticut while building her resume with Team USA. The All-BIG EAST performer and third-team All-American midfielder was named to the U.S. National Team in 2020 and eventually won her first medal (silver) with the squad at the 2023 Pan American Games in Chile.

Kelee LePage

Hometown: Honey Brook

Notes: Another former standout at Twin Valley HS, LePage brings a wealth of experience and energy to Team USA. Capping her career at Maryland in 2019, helping the Terps win a Big Ten title. Named to the National Team a year later, LePage earned her first cap against the Netherlands in January, 2020 after starting her run in the FIH Pro League.

Jenny Rizzo

Hometown: Hershey

Notes: There’s multiple reasons why Rizzo is in Paris as a provisional player. The Hershey High graduate and former member of the U19 and U21 National Teams also played with the Beeston Hockey Club in England in 2019 and ‘20. She moonlighted as a student finishing her masters in Public Health from Nottingham Trent. Rizzo would make 79 starts in the cage for Penn State, posting a .749 save percentage and helped the Nittany Lions reach three NCAA Tournaments. Rizzo was just named an assistant coach at Maryland.

Ashley Sessa

Hometown: Schwenksville

Notes: Sessa began her career at age 8 for the highly successful WC Eagles Hockey Club and eventually secured a roster spot on the U.S. U-17 National Indoor Team in 2017. Four years later, the mid-forward won a bronze medal at the Junior Pan American Cup in Chile. She returned to Chile in 2023 with the Women’s National Team that mined silver. Sessa, who won a national championship with North Carolina in 2022, recorded her 50th cap last month vs. Great Britain.

Meredith Sholder

Hometown: Fleetwood

Notes: Sholder was a first-team All-America selection in 2015 and 2016, when she was tagged as MAX Field Hockey’s National Preseason Player of the Year. Sholder won a pair of PIAA championships and was a four-time All-State pick before continuing her dominant career at North Carolina. Even more accolades would follow for the midfielder/forward, who co-captained UNC’s national title squad in ‘22.

Maddie Zimmer

Hometown: Hershey

Notes: Zimmer was poised to make her Olympic debut after training full time with Team USA in North Carolina for the past year. The former PennLive Player of the year went from prep All-American at Hershey to national champion at Northwestern University. Starting with her time on the U-17 squad, Zimmer has competed in Ireland, Uruguay, Germany, Canada, Chile and more. The midfielder was twice named Player of the Match during the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier in India earlier this year. Zimmer’s 50th cap came in May against Belgium.

Rowing

Justin Best

Hometown: Kennett Square

Notes: Part of the men’s eight team that won a silver medal at the 2015 World Rowing Junior Championships, Best competed for the Newport Rowing Club while attending Unionville High School and even lobbied for the school board to add rowing as a club sport. Later, he helped Drexel University win four Dad Vail Regatta titles while competing for the US National U23 squad in 2018 and ‘19. Best also competed in the men’s eight event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Michael Grady

Hometown: Pittsburgh

Notes: Grady attended Pittsburgh Central Catholic and continued his education at Cornell University. During his time at Cornell, Grady competed in the World Rowing Cup III and was twice a member of the U23 squad that won an eight-man gold medal in 2018. Grady is headed to his second Olympics after competing in Tokyo.

Nick Mead

Hometown: Strafford

Notes: A former team captain at Episcopal Academy, Mead competed with the men’s US 8+ at the 2013 Junior World Championships before taking his talents to Princeton, where his father (‘81) rowed. His mother and brother rowed at the University Pennsylvania. Mead, 29, is again part of Team USA’s eight-man team after finished fourth in Tokyo.

Canoe/Kayak

Casey Eichfeld

Hometown: Drums

Notes: Eichfeld has been competing at the international level since 2004, winning gold medals in single and double canoe at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. A year later, Eichfeld earned a bronze medal in the C1 event at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup Final in Tacen, Slovenia. Born in Harrisburg, Eichfeld will be competing in his fourth Olympic Games.

Wrestling

Spencer Lee

Hometown: Murrysville

Notes: Lee is hoping to become the first former Iowa Hawkeye wrestler to win an Olympic gold medal since Iowa head coach Tom Brands achieved that goal in 1996. A four-state PIAA qualifier and three-time champion, Lee won multiple Junior World titles and continued to dominate inside The Big Ten. He went 98-6 overall at Iowa, winning three NCAA titles. Lee will compete in the men’s freestyle in the 57 kilogram division. He’s also excited to reunite with family members on his mom’s side living in France.

Zain Retherford

Hometown: Benton

Notes: Although born in Wisconsin, Retherford’s family made the move to Pa. early in his life. The wrestling phenom went 84-3 and won a PIAA title during two seasons at Line Mountain before transferring to Benton as a junior. One year later, Retherford went 47-0 and snared his second state crown before beginning a sterling career at Penn State as the nation’s No. 3 recruit. Now 29, Retherford, a longtime member of Team USA, will compete in his first Olympic Games in the 65 kilogram division.

Swimming

Chris Guiliano

Hometown: Douglasville

Notes: Before starting his budding college career at Notre Dame, Guiliano starred at Daniel Boone HS and was a three-time All-American. In fact, Guiliano set school marks in the 50 free, 100 free, 200 free, 100 back and 200 IM. The Irish team captain and 2024 ACC Swimmer of the Year will compete in those first three disciplines in Paris and join Team USA’s 4×100 and 4×200 free relay teams.

Ivan Puskovitch

Hometown: West Chester

Notes: Puskovitch, who attended The Episcopal Academy, will be the first male swimmer from West University University to compete in the Olympics. The distance ace qualified for the marathon event in Paris after placing 14th in the men’s 10K event at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, earlier this year. Plus, Puskovitch is just the fifth American male to qualify in open water since the event was added to the Olympics in 2008.

Josh Matheny

Hometown: Pittsburgh

Notes: Matheny made quite a splash during his sensational prep career at Upper St. Clair, winning two PIAA titles in the 200-yard medley relay. He also helped Team USA set a world record in the 4×100 mixed medley relay (3:44.84) at the 2019 FINA World Junior Championships in that time. His swam 59.31 during the breaststroke leg. The University of Indiana standout was fifth in the 2020 Olympic Trials.

Water polo

Jovanna Sekulic

Hometown: Haverford

Notes: Sekulic, who plays on the men’s water polo team at Princeton University, led the Tigers in goals (76) in 2023. Following her Rookie of Year season in 2022, Sekulic was named player of the year in ‘23 by the Collegiate Water Polo Association. A member of Team USA’s gold medal squad at the World Championships earlier this season, Sekulic brings a ton of influence into her first Olympic Games.

Archery

Casey Kaufhold

Hometown: Lancaster

Notes: Just 20 years old, the Conestoga Valley grad qualified for her second Olympic Games after finishing 17th overall in Tokyo in 2020. She also helped secure eighth place in the women’s team competition. Last year, Kaufhold became the first U.S. woman to hold the World No. 1 ranking in women’s recurve.

Equestrian

Boyd Martin

Hometown: Cochranville

Notes: Martin will compete in his fourth Olympic Games, having previously competed in London (2012), Rio de Janeiro (2016) and Tokyo (2020), where the 44-year-old helped Team USA to a six-place finish. Martin’s father, Ross, competed in cross-country skiing for Australia. Toy, Martin’s mother, is a former speed skater for Team USA.

Track and field

Joe Kovacs

Hometown: Bethlehem

Notes: The 35-year-old and Penn State graduate will be competing in his third Olympic Games following a pair of silver-medal showings in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. Kovacs has earned five medals, included a pair of golds, in five World Championship appearances since 2015. “It’s time to put away these silver medals and get gold,” Kovacs said during a recent interview.

Allie Wilson

Hometown: Wallingford

Notes: Wilson was a standout at Strath Haven, competing in cross country and soccer. In fact, she was the Delaware County Daily Times girls soccer player of the year in 2013, and she helped Strath Haven’s 4×800 relay team qualify multiple times for the Penn Relays. Turning pro after a terrific career at Monmouth, Wilson just missed on qualifying for the rescheduled Tokyo Games in 2021. Wilson’s first gold medal in the 800 happened earlier this year at the USATF Indoor Championships in New Mexico. She again broke the two-minute barrier (1:58.32) at the Olympic Trials.

Bridget Williams

Hometown: Greensburg

Notes: The former University of Virginia standout and three-time NCAA All-American won a PIAA title in pole vault during her time at Hempfield Area High School. Last year, Williams won gold at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, landing 15-1. She bettered that mark (15-5) to top the field last month’s Olympic Trials.

Women’s basketball

Kahleah Cooper

Hometown: Philadelphia

Notes: During her scholastic career at Prep Charter and Girard College, Cooper was named a McDonald’s All-American before matriculating to Rutgers, where the 6-foot-1 guard posted 1,872 points. Drafted seventh overall by the WNBA’s Washington Mystics in 2016, Cooper’s pro career routed through Chicago to Phoenix, where the 4-time WNBA All-Star continues to thrive. Cooper was a WNBA Finals MVP with the Chicago Sky, helping the franchise win its first title.

Alyssa Thomas

Hometown: Harrisburg

Notes: Following an All-American career at Maryland, Thomas remains one of the WNBA’s most productive players 10 years after the being drafted No. 4 overall by the New York Liberty and then traded to the Connecticut Sun. Thomas played on Team USA’s FIBA World Cup team that claimed gold in 2022, averaging 9.9 points and 7 rebounds per game. The former star at Central Dauphin will be making her Olympic debut in Paris.

Rugby

Ariana Ramsey

Hometown: Philadelphia

Notes: The 5-foot-3 Ramsey only started playing rugby midway through her high school career at Upper Merion. The 22-year-old is now a two-time Olympic athlete after leading Team USA to a sixth place showing in Tokyo. The wing scored a try in USA’s win that year over Japan, becoming the first Dartmouth women’s rugby player to compete in the Olympics.

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