Athletics

A Baker’s Dozen Olympians

NC State will send 13 future, current and former student-athletes to the 2024 Paris Olympics. In addition, the Wolfpack will send two coaches as part of the U.S. men’s and women’s swimming teams.

July 19, 2024 Tim Peeler 4-min. read

Men's Swimming Coach Braden Holloway addresses swimmers training for the 2024 Olympics by the pool in Carmichael Gymnasium — Swimming Coach Braden Holloway addresses Wolfpack swimmers at a team meeting.

For the second consecutive Olympiad, NC State will send a record-matching 13 future, current and former student-athletes to compete in the Summer Games — this time in the 2024 Paris Olympics, which begin later this month.

The Wolfpack sent 12 athletes to the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

As has been the case throughout State’s athletics Olympic participation, swimming makes up the bulk of the representation, including the university’s first women’s swimmer — Katharine Berkoff of Missoula, Montana — to compete for the U.S. Olympic squad.

In all, 10 of this year’s Olympians will compete in swimming: Berkoff and former gold-medal winner Ryan Held for the U.S. team, and eight others for Germany, Greece, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland and Sweden.

Men's Swimming Coach Braden Holloway coaches athletes in the pool. — Swimming Coach Braden Holloway coaches athletes in the pool.

Among those international swimmers is Andreas Vazaios, who will compete in his fourth Olympic Games for his native Greece, becoming the Wolfpack’s first four-time Olympian in any sport.

Former men’s basketball player Lorenzo Brown, who spent three years with the Wolfpack, will represent Spain, becoming the first Pack player since Kenny Carr in 1976 to compete in the Olympics. Tommy Burleson, who played for the U.S. in 1972, is the only other men’s basketball player to participate in the Olympics.

Diana Shnaider, a native of Moscow who spent one year playing for NC State’s women’s tennis team before turning professional, will officially compete as an Individual Neutral Athlete, the designation used for all qualified Olympians from Russia and Belarus.

Finally, swimming coach Braden Holloway will serve as one of four assistants to former NC State associate head coach Todd Desorbo, who is now the head swimming coach at Virginia.

The opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics will be held July 26, and the full schedule for the 329 medal events is available here.

Athletes lift weights and meet with a coach in the weight room — Athletes hit the gym for morning weight training.

All-Time NC State Olympic Athletes

1968 Mexico City Olympics: Steve Rerych (USA, men’s swimming), 2 gold medals.
1972 Munich Olympics: Tom Burleson (USA, men’s basketball), 1 silver medal (declined).
1976 Montreal Olympics: Kenny Carr (USA, men’s basketball), 1 gold medal; Duncan Goodhew (Great Britain, men’s swimming); Steve Gregg (USA, men’s swimming), 1 silver medal; Dan Harrigan (USA, men’s swimming), 1 bronze medal.
1980 Moscow Olympics: Duncan Goodhew (Great Britain, men’s swimming), 1 gold medal, 1 bronze medal.
1984 Los Angeles Olympics: Joan Benoit (USA, women’s track and field — marathon), 1 gold medal; Rob Stull (USA, modern pentathlon — noncompeting alternate); Auguston Young (Jamaica, track and field).
1988 Seoul Olympics: Tab Ramos (USA, men’s soccer); Rob Stull (USA, modern pentathlon, men’s fencing); Kay Yow (USA, women’s basketball coach), 1 gold medal; Nikos Fokianos (Greece, men’s swimming); Agnes Gerlach (Hungary, diving).
1992 Barcelona Olympics: Dario Brose (USA, men’s soccer); Agnes Gerlach (Hungary, diving); Nick Paleocrassas (Greece, men’s swimming).
1996 Atlanta Olympics: David Fox (men’s swimming), 1 gold medal; Carlos Santander (Venezuela, men’s swimming); Bank Intharapichai (Thailand, men’s swimming).
2000 Sydney Olympics: Tom Gugliotta (USA, men’s basketball, injured — did not compete).
2008 Beijing Olympics: Cullen Jones (USA, men’s swimming), 1 gold medal; Dan Velez (Puerto Rico, men’s swimming).
2012 London Olympics: Cullen Jones (USA, men’s swimming), 1 gold medal, 2 silver medals; Andreas Vazaios (Greece, men’s swimming).
2016 Rio De Janiero Olympics: Ryan Held (USA, men’s swimming) 1 gold medal; Lucas Kozeniesky (USA, shooting); Soren Dahl (Denmark, men’s swimming); Anton Ipsen, (Denmark, men’s swimming); Simonas Bilis (Lithuania, men’s swimming); Andreas Vazaios (Greece, men’s swimming).
2020 Tokyo Olympics: Lucas Kozeniesky (USA, shooting), 1 silver medal; Gabriele Cunningham (USA, women’s track and field); Anton Ipsen (Denmark, men’s swimming); Alexander Norgaard (Denmark, men’s swimming); Andreas Vazaios (Greece, men’s swimming); Simonas Bilis (Lithuania, men’s swimming); Tatyana Forbes (Mexico, women’s softball); Nyls Korstanje (Netherlands, men’s swimming); Kacper Stokowski (Poland, men’s swimming); Andrea Podmanikova (Slovakia, women’s swimming); Sophie Hansson (Sweden, women’s swimming); Noe Ponti (Switzerland, men’s swimming).
2024 Paris Olympics: Katharine Berkoff (United States, women’s swimming); Ryan Held (USA, men’s swimming); Kaii Winkler (Germany, men’s swimming); Andreas Vazaios (Greece, men’s swimming); David Betleham (Hungary, men’s swimming), Betti Fabian (Hungary, women’s swimming); Diana Shnaider (Individual Neutral Athlete, women’s tennis); Nyls Korstanje (Netherlands, men’s swimming); Bartosz Piszczorowiz (Poland, men’s swimming); Kacper Stokowski (Poland, men’s swimming); Lorenzo Brown (Spain, men’s basketball); Sophie Hansson (Sweden, women’s swimming); MacKenzie Long (United States, Women’s 200m).

NC State Olympic Coaches

Norm Sloan (Great Britain, 1980 men’s basketball head coach, team did not advance from European qualifier).
Kay Yow (USA, 1984 women’s basketball assistant coach, 1988 women’s basketball head coach), 2 gold medals.
Susan Yow (USA, 1988 women’s basketball assistant coach), 1 gold medal.
Ray Tanner (USA, 1996, baseball assistant coach).
Nate McMillan (USA, 2008, 2012 men’s basketball assistant coach), 2 gold medals.
Luka Slabe (USA, 2020, women’s volleyball assistant coach), 1 gold medal.
Braden Holloway (USA, 2024, swimming assistant coach).
John Payne (USA, 2024, swimming head coach, Paralympics).

2024 NC State Olympians’ Majors

Poole College of Management

Bartosz Piszczorowiz (Poland, men’s swimming, business administration).
Sophie Hansson (Sweden, women’s swimming, business administration).

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Kacper Stokowski (Poland, men’s swimming, ’24 communication).
Andreas Vazaios (Greece, men’s swimming, psychology).
McKenzie Long (USA, ’22 psychology, communication).

College of Sciences

Katharine Berkoff (USA, women’s swimming, microbiology).

College of Natural Resources

Katharine Berkoff (USA, women’s swimming; fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology).
Lorenzo Brown (Spain, men’s basketball; parks, recreation and tourism management).
Ryan Held (USA, men’s swimming; fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology).
Braden Holloway (USA, men’s swimming assistant coach; ’21 Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management).
Nyls Korstanje (Netherlands, men’s swimming; ’23 Sustainable Materials and Technology).

Undeclared

David Betleham (Hungary, men’s swimming, incoming student-athlete).
Betti Fabian (Hungary, women’s swimming, incoming student-athlete).
Diana Shnaider (Individual Neutral Athlete, women’s tennis, former student-athlete).
Kaii Winkler (Germany, men’s swimming, incoming student-athlete).