Ivies in Athens Recap (2004)

2004 Athens Summer Games
10,625 Athletes, 201 Countries, 301 Events

Returning to Athens, Greece for the first time since the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896, the 2000 Summer Games were a celebration of history and tradition of the Olympic Spirit. The Marathon was contested on the same course that was used in 1896 and archery used the same Panathenaic Stadium that was used in the 1896 Olympics. The shot put events took place at the site of the Ancient Olympic Games in Olympia. In terms of countries (201) and events (301), the games were the largest to date.

For many Americans, the Athens games will be remembered for swimmer Michael Phelps’ breakout performance in which he won six gold medals and tied a record by winning eight total medals (he went on to win eight gold medals at Beijing and will attempt to add to his medal count in London). Mariel Zagunis won Team USA’s first-ever fencing gold when she claimed the top spot in women’s sabre, an event that was making its Olympic debut.

All told, 54 Ivy Leaguers made the trip to Athens and won eight medals. The largest number of Ivy athletes competed in men’s rowing (14), women’s rowing (7), men’s fencing (4), women’s fencing (4) and women’s soccer (4).

Three of the four Ivy League women’s soccer players suited up for the hosts Greece, including Tanya Kalivas (Princeton ’01), Eleni Benson (Yale ’06) and Sophie Smith (Cornell ’01). Kristen Luckenbill was Team USA’s backup goalkeeper and earned a gold medal as the Americans downed Brazil, 2-1, in the championship game - which Abby Wambach sealed in extra time with a 112th-minute goal.

The Ivy League's second gold medal came in men’s rowing as Chris Ahern (Princeton ’98) was part of the gold-medal winning Team USA Men’s Eights boat. The League's third gold came years later as Adam Nelson (Dartmouth ’07) was elevated from silver to gold in the shot put by the International Olympic Committee after Ukraine's Yuriy Bilonog was stripped of it for doping in May 2013.

The League's silver medalists included Caryn Davis (Harvard ’04) and Lianne Nelson (Princeton ’95) in women’s eights and Tom Herschmiller (Princeton ’01) as part of Canada’s men’s coxless four.

Sada Jacobsen (Yale ’05) calimed the individual women’s sabre bronze. Jacobsen, who went on to win a silver and a bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games, kicked off a new era of Ivy fencing success at the Olympics with her bronze in 2004. In 2008, the League combined for five fencing medals, and seven members of the Team USA fencing teams. Prior to 2004, the last fencing medalists from the Ivy League were Hugh Alessandroni (Columbia ’29C & ’31E), Dernell Every (Yale ’28) and Frank Righeimer (Yale ’29), who combined for four bronze medals at the 1932 Los Angeles Games. 

Rounding out the 2004 Ivy medalists, Jim Pedro (Brown ’94) won the bronze in judo. Already a bronze medalist at the 1996 Atlanta Games, Pedro closed his competitive career with the Bronze in Athens. He represented Team USA at the Olympics in 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004.

Name

School Sport
Angela "Dawn" Chuck Brown University Women's Swimming
Alex Ottiano Brown University Men's Judo
Jim Pedro Brown University Men's Judo
Erinn Smart Columbia University Women's Fencing
Adam Nelson Dartmouth College Men's Athletics
Wolfgang Moeser Harvard University Men's Rowing
Henry Nuzum Harvard University Men's Rowing
Greg Ruckman Harvard University Men's Rowing
Nick Sweeney Harvard University Men's Athletics
Chris Ahrens Princeton University Men's Rowing
Tom Herschmiller Princeton University Men's Rowing
Paul Teti Princeton University Men's Rowing
Juan Pablo Valdivieso Princeton University Men's Swimming
George Gleason Yale University Men's Swimming
Celita Schutz Yale University Women's Judo
Matt Taylor Yale University Men's Kayaking
Sada Jacobsen Yale University Women's Fencing
Emily Jacobsen Columbia University Women's Fencing
Dan Kellner Columbia University Men's Fencing
Jed Dupree Columbia University Men's Fencing
Soren Thompson Princeton University Men's Fencing
Kamara James Princeton University Women's Fencing
Greg Chang Harvard University Men's Fencing
Stacey Borgman Columbia University Women's Rowing
J. Sloan DuRoss Brown University Men's Rowing
Ben Holbrook Brown University Men's Rowing
Danika Holbrook Princeton University Women's Rowing
Michelle Guerette Harvard University Women's Rowing
Artour Samsonov Harvard University Men's Rowing
Pat Todd Harvard University Men's Rowing
Lianne Nelson Princeton University Women's Rowing
Caryn Davis Harvard University Women's Rowing
Simon Carcagno Princeton University Men's Rowing
Liane Malcos Brown University Women's Rowing
Andreanna Morin Princeton University Women's Rowing
Josh West Yale University Men's Rowing
Veljko Urosevic Columbia University Men's Rowing
Milos Tomic Columbia University Men's Rowing
Isabelle Kinsolving Yale University Women's Sailing
Katie McDowell Brown University Women's Sailing
Kevin Hall Brown University Men's Sailing
Kristen Luckenbill Dartmouth College Women's Soccer
Tanya Kalivas Princeton University Women's Soccer
Eleni Benson Yale University Women's Soccer
Jackie Pangilnan Harvard University Women's Swimming
Chinedum Osuji Cornell University Men's Taekwondo
Tora Harris Princeton University Men's Athletics
Kate O'Neil Yale University Women's Athletics
Brenda Taylor Harvard University Women's Athletics
Michael Aguilar University of Pennsylvania Men's Athletics
Chris Lambert Harvard University Men's Athletics
Benjie Lewis Cornell University Men's Kayaking
Sophie Smith Cornell University Women's Soccer
Nate Ackerman Harvard University Men's Wrestling