Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

Nine Current and Former Athletes, Coaches to Participate in Olympics

Thursday, August 4, 2016, By News Staff
Share
athleticsOlympics

15849G News Services Olympic Graphic_newsThere will be plenty of Orange at the 2016 Summer Olympics (despite the absence of an orange ring in the Olympiad symbol), as nine current and former athletes and coaches from Syracuse University travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to compete on the international stage.

Participants include basketball players Carmelo Anthony and Michael Gbinije, rower Natalie Mastracci, field hockey player Alyssa Manley, heptathlete Uhunoma Osazuwa and track & field athletes Flings Owusu-Agyapong and Katie Zaferes.

Herman Frazier, senior deputy director of athletics and a 1976 Olympic gold medalist, says the delegation underscores Syracuse’s status as a national elite program.

“I’m excited for all of the athletes, including those from Syracuse University,” says Frazier, who also served as the chef de mission for the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, where the team brought home a record-breaking 103 medals. “It’s an undeniable once-in-a-lifetime experience and education that you receive when you’re involved in the Olympics. It’s global, and there’s nothing larger.”

For the fourth Olympics in a row, Anthony of the New York Knicks, will play for the U.S. men’s national basketball team. Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim’66, G’73 will make his third appearance as an assistant coach for Team USA, and Syracuse assistant coach Mike Hopkins ’93 will return to help the defending gold medalists to victory.

Fresh off of being drafted by the Detroit Pistons after a stellar Final Four appearance, Gbinije’15, who earned a bachelor’s degree in communication and rhetorical studies from the College of Visual and Performing Arts, will play for the Nigerian men’s national basketball team.

Former Orange rower and 2012 Olympic silver medalist Mastracci ’11, who earned a bachelor’s degree in English and textual studies from the College of Arts and Sciences, will rejoin Canada’s women’s eight, which took second in the London games.

For the second straight Olympics, Syracuse will have a women’s field hockey player competing for a medal. Honda Sport Award winner Manley, who also led the Orange to a 2015 national championship, looks to help Team USA win its first medal in the sport since 1984. Manley ’17, who is pursuing a degree in child and family studies in the Falk College, follows the Orange’s Shannon Taylor ’08, who competed in the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

Two-time Big East heptathlon champion Osazuwa ’10, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the College of Arts and Sciences, will represent Team Nigeria. She is making her second straight Olympic appearance, after a successful showing at London 2012.

Another Big East champion, Owusu-Agyapong, ’11, who earned a bachelor’s degree in public health from Falk College, will represent Team Ghana at the Rio Games. The former All-American will compete in the 100-meter dash and the 4×100-meter relay. She also has the distinction of leading her country’s contingent, as well as being the flag-bearer in the games’ opening ceremony.

Like Owusu-Agyapong, Zaferes ’12, who earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from the School of Education,  is a decorated 2012 track and field alumna. The two-time All-American will represent the United States in the women’s triathlon and will compete on Aug. 20.

The campus community is invited to watch the Olympics Opening Ceremony beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5, at the Slutzker Center for International Services, 310 Walnut Place.

  • Author

News Staff

  • Recent
  • Syracuse Stage Announces Changes to the 2020/2021 Season
    Sunday, January 17, 2021, By Joanna Penalva
  • Hehnly Lab Awarded $1.2M NIH Grant to Research Critical Tissue Formation
    Sunday, January 17, 2021, By Dan Bernardi
  • Important Information Regarding Proof of Eligibility for and Access to the COVID Vaccine
    Saturday, January 16, 2021, By News Staff
  • COVID-19 Update: Vaccination | Testing | Important Reminders | Zoom Sessions
    Friday, January 15, 2021, By News Staff
  • Important Update: Spring 2021 Pre-Arrival Testing Requirements (Students from New York State and contiguous states)
    Thursday, January 14, 2021, By News Staff

More In Campus & Community

Important Information Regarding Proof of Eligibility for and Access to the COVID Vaccine

Dear Faculty, Instructors and Graduate Teaching Assistants: We are writing to provide you new information from the Onondaga County Health Department related to the COVID-19 vaccination distribution process. Eligibility Reminder At this time, per the New York State Department of…

COVID-19 Update: Vaccination | Testing | Important Reminders | Zoom Sessions

Dear Students, Faculty, Staff and Families: The start of the spring semester is quickly approaching, and many in our community are working diligently to prepare for the return of our students and to safely resume in-person teaching and learning. We…

Important Update: Spring 2021 Pre-Arrival Testing Requirements (Students from New York State and contiguous states)

Dear Students and Families: We are writing as a follow-up to yesterday’s return to campus message, to provide detailed guidance concerning the pre-arrival testing requirements and procedures. Important: The New York State Department of Health policy regarding travel, testing and…

Important Update: Spring 2021 Pre-Arrival Testing and Quarantine Requirements (Students from all states non-contiguous to New York State and international locations)

Dear Students and Families: We are writing as a follow-up to yesterday’s return to campus message, to provide detailed guidance concerning the pre-arrival testing requirements and quarantine procedures. Important: The New York State Department of Health policy regarding travel, testing…

Students and Families Invited to Participate in Zoom Sessions to Discuss Return to Campus Planning

Syracuse University will hold a series of virtual information sessions for students and families to answer questions regarding the return to campus for the Spring 2021 semester. The sessions will feature University leaders and subject matter experts speaking on issues…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2021 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.