This year, a very special group of college students has landed a summer internship that will give them totally deserved bragging rights for the rest of their lives. 57 current student-athletes have officially earned their spot on Team USA for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris! They represent 30 American universities, Stanford being the most represented with eight Cardinals poised to land on the podiums.
The minimum age required to compete in the Olympics varies by sport and country. Overall, athletes are eligible to make their Olympic debuts by the time they’re 13 years old (in case you’re curious, the youngest member of Team USA this year is 16-year-old gymnast Hezly Rivera, who’ll be competing alongside Suni Lee and Simone Biles). However, college seems to be the prime time for young athletes to try their luck in qualifying for the Olympics. It makes total sense — they’ve got a few more years of experience under their belt while still being impressively young, and in most cases, they’ve already made a name for themselves among their college teams.
If you haven’t heard of these 10 college athletes yet, you’re about to find out just how talented they are. Fair warning: you may find yourself wanting to buy another school’s merch by the time these athletes bring home the gold.
- jade carey
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Jade Carey is an incoming senior at Oregon State University. She’s the only college-aged gymnast on Team USA’s female artistic gymnastics team. This is her second time competing in the Olympics; she won a gold medal for her floor routine during the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo! She’s got her sights set on adding another medal to her collection this summer.
- emily ausmus
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Want to say you knew someone before they were famous? Now’s your chance. 18-year-old Emily Ausmus has committed to playing water polo at the University of Southern California in Fall 2024, but before she steps on campus, she’ll be playing water polo for Team USA in Paris.
- hailey van lith
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Women’s basketball has been getting some much-needed love this year. Star player and incoming Texas Christian University grad student Hailey Van Lith will be taking some of that love with her to Paris as the only college-aged player on Team USA’s basketball teams, male and female (!!!).
- jeremiah davis
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As someone who just graduated from Florida State University, I have to give a shoutout to my fellow Nole, Jeremiah Davis. The FSU junior will be repping red, white, and blue (and garnet and gold, of course) during the athletics (AKA track and field) events. He won a gold medal during the Olympic trials, so I’m rooting for him to get another one during the Games themselves!
- gretchen walsh
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The University of Virginia prides itself on having one of the best swimming teams in the nation. This year, four of its swimmers are heading to the Olympics, including incoming senior Gretchen Walsh. The six-time NCAA gold medalist will be heading to Paris with her older sister Alex Walsh, making them the first sister pair on Team USA’s swimming team since 2004!
- Asher Hong
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Men’s gymnastics doesn’t typically get as much attention as women’s gymnastics does, but that might change this year with Asher Hong on the team. The 2023 US Championship’s all-around champion and incoming Stanford junior will be making his Olympic debut with Team USA’s men’s gymnastics team.
- Carson Tyler
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After doing an online deep dive (get it?), I found out that Carson Tyler is the first American to qualify for both the men’s three-meter and 10-meter platform diving events since 2000. He’s also a junior at Indiana University. How’s that for a resume?
- Hadley Husisian
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Hadley Husisian is representing Team USA and Princeton University in fencing this year at the Olympics thanks to one show: iCarly. “I was first introduced to [fencing] through an episode of iCarly, with the Fencin’ Bensons,” she told The Daily Princetonian. Iconic.
- Nico Young
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Nico Young, an incoming senior at Northern Arizona University, is representing Team USA in track and field. As of July 2024, he holds the collegiate records in the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter races — let’s hope he’ll set another record in Paris!
- Emma Weyant
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University of Florida’s Emma Weyant might have just graduated but she’s still making her collegiate team proud as she’s fighting for another medal, baby. In the 2020 Olympics, the swimming star won a silver medal in the 400-meter individual medley event. This year, she’s aiming to add a gold medal to her collection.
Unlike most interns, these Olympic athletes probably won’t be posting a summer recap on LinkedIn before the school year starts. It’s probably a good thing for finance bros’ egos, too — Goldman Sachs can’t compete with gold medals.