Senior sprinter Bella Whittaker is one of Penn's Olympic hopefuls this summer.
Credit: Chase SuttonOh, the dog days of summer… hot, sultry, and sluggish. But wait. This summer is anything but dull and mundane. Coming from humble roots, several Penn athletes look to reach sports’ biggest stage — the Paris 2024 Olympics. A lifelong dream that only comes once every four years, becoming an Olympian and potentially winning a medal is the pinnacle of an athlete’s journey.
Building up to Paris, a wide array of sports will be participating in multiple Olympic qualifiers as well as other national championship events. Sports like track and field and swimming will have athletes seeking to punch their ticket to the City of Light through Olympic Trials. Additionally, a myriad of sports, including rowing, lacrosse, and baseball, will be participating in national and NCAA championships.
Track and Field
A plethora of track and field athletes will be competing in several events over the course of June. Both the men’s and women’s teams just finished competing at the NCAA East preliminaries in Lexington, Ky. After a successful showing, the women’s team saw three individuals and two relays qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In addition, the men’s team saw three individuals punch their ticket to the west coast. The Championships will take place from June 5 to 8 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., a site that hosted the Championships over 10 times and will mark the 15th time the Championship will be held in Oregon. Fast forward to late June, the United States Olympic Trials will also take place at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon, the eighth rendition at the location. For those able to qualify for the Olympics, all track and field events will be held in the first two weeks of August.
A few standout athletes to look out for include rising junior Kampton Kam, who competes in the high jump, and recent graduate Bella Whittaker who competes in the 200-meter and 400-meter races. Kam is currently ranked 169th in the world in the high jump, while Whittaker is ranked 93rd in the world and 22nd in the U.S.
Swimming and Diving
Splash and dash. A couple Penn swimmers will be looking to make their mark this summer by reaching the penultimate goal of the Olympic team. But first, athletes must first qualify for the games at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium, which will take place over the course of a week in the middle of June. Most notably, rising senior breaststroker Matt Fallon has his sights set on Paris in his signature event — the 200-meter breaststroke. The Olympic hopeful recently took home first place in the race at the TYR Pro Swim Series meet in San Antonio. Fallon also finished on the medal stand last year at the World Championships, earning the bronze medal in the 200-meter breaststroke. He is expected to be one of the top seeds at this year’s Olympic Trials. With blazing back-half speed, Fallon is known to chase down his competitors during races.
Another swimmer in the mix to join Fallon includes recent graduate Anna Kalandadze, who specializes in distance freestyle and the individual medley. Competing in the 1,650-yard freestyle, Kalandadze set the Ivy League record in the event at the Ivy championships this year. Kalandadze also competed for the U.S. in the World University Games in China just last summer, where she placed eighth in the mile. Already setting a multitude of records, she also owns the Penn team record in the 400-yard individual medley. With a demanding training regimen that includes swimming a whopping 11,000 yards a day, Kalandadze is ready to bring the speed to the motor speedway city of Indianapolis.
Baseball
After storming their way to an Ivy League championship victory and an NCAA Regional Tournament berth, Penn baseball will compete in the NCAA Regional this week. Going into the Ivy League tournament as the fourth and final seed, the Quakers showed their mettle en route to a championship with wins over Columbia, Princeton, and Cornell. In the NCAA Regional Tournament, the Quakers will be in the Charlottesville Regional where they will face No. 12 Virginia. Last year, the Red and Blue were able to reach the NCAA Regionals round, where they ultimately fell to Southern Mississippi.
Rowing
Women’s rowing recently headed across the Schuylkill River to Cherry Hill, N.J. to participate in the Ivy League Championships. The Red and Blue will now compete at the NCAA Championship in Bethel, Ohio this weekend. On the other hand, Men’s rowing attended the EARC Sprints in Worcester, Mass. a few weeks ago. The team now heads over to West Windsor, N.J. to compete in the International Rowing Association National Championship in early June.
Looking at this summer as a whole, there are many exciting events to look forward to in Penn sports. So have fun, let loose, and enjoy the spectacle of what is sure to be a summer to remember.
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