Alyssa Naeher extended her right arm and leaped sideways, making an incredible save in stoppage time to secure the gold medal for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. She was joined by another former Penn State player, Sam Coffey, as the team posed for pictures with happy faces and golden medallions.
Naeher and Coffey were two of 12 ex-Nittany Lion athletes who medaled at the Olympic Games in Paris, where 31 school representatives competed for 13 different countries.
Penn State finished third in medals won by a university, trailing only Stanford and Virginia. Here’s a look at the former Nittany Lions who medaled.
Naeher, Coffey win gold
Naeher’s save cemented a 1-0 victory for the U.S. over Brazil, en route to the team’s fifth-ever gold medal and first since 2012. Naeher, now a three-time Olympian, is recognized as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the national team’s history. Coffey made her Olympic debut this summer, and started in the gold-medal game.
Naeher and Coffey were the only Penn State athletes to win gold in 2024.
Haleigh Washington leads women’s volleyball to silver
Expectations were high for Haleigh Washington and the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball team after a gold-medal finish at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Washington didn’t let the pressure get too high for her, leading the team to a silver medal in 2024. Her prestigious resume, which includes the title of best middle blocker from the Tokyo Games, grew again this summer.
Washington won silver alongside former Penn State teammate, Micha Hancock, who was an alternate this summer but still received a medal. Washington and Hancock won a national championship together with the Nittany Lions in 2014, as well as a gold medal in 2021.
Joe Kovacs three-peats silver medal
It was a successful Olympic Games for legendary shot putter Joe Kovacs, who won a silver medal, trailing teammate Ryan Crouser for a third consecutive Summer Games. Kovacs earned his silver with a 22.15 meter throw, just 0.75 meters behind Crouser’s tally.
Glasses off, bronze medals on
Stephen Nedoroscik took the world by storm with his pommel-horse routine, which scored a 14.866 and helped the U.S. men’s gymnastics team claim its first medal since 2008. He later scored a 15.300 and secured another bronze medal, Team USA’s first individual medal since 2016.
Nedoroscik, with his signature thick-framed glasses and quirky smile, has come a long way since his days at Penn State, where he won two national championships in 2017 and 2018.
Brooks, Dake wrestle their way to bronze
Aaron Brooks was seconds away from competing for gold, when Bulgaria’s Magomed Ramazanov executed a counter exposure to Brooks’ leg attack and won 4-3. Brooks didn’t leave Paris, empty-handed, though. After falling in the semi finals, Brooks beat Uzbekistan’s Javrail Shapiev 5-0 to claim a bronze medal in the 86 kg weight class.
Brooks’ medal comes months after winning his fourth national championship with the Nittany Lions. He was joined on the podiums in Paris by Nittany Lion Wrestling Club member Kyle Dake, who also won a bronze medal. They were also coached in Paris by Penn State’s Cael Sanderson, Cody Sanderson, Casey Cunningham and Nick Lee.
Canett makes rugby history for USA
In her second Olympic games, Kayla Canett helped Team USA upset Australia and win a bronze medal, the team’s first-ever medal in rugby sevens. Canett won a national championship with Penn State in 2017, four years before making her Olympic debut in 2021.
Trio bring home bronze in men’s volleyball
After narrowly falling to Poland in the semifinals, Matt Anderson, Maxwell Holt and Aaron Russell claimed the bronze medal for the U.S. Men’s National Volleyball Team. Anderson and Holt were teammates with the Nittany Lions, and won a national championship together in 2008.
Freigang takes bronze with Germany
Appearing in the Olympics for the first time, Laura Freigang won a bronze medal with Germany’s women’s soccer team. Germany defeated Spain 1-0 in the bronze medal match. Freigang played for Penn State in 2016 and 2017 before turning pro
Knapik-Miazga wins bronze for Poland
An outlier compared to most Penn State representatives in this year’s Olympics, Renata Knapik-Miazga helped claim a bronze medal in fencing for Team Poland. Knapik-Miazga, an assistant coach for the Nittany Lions, was one of four fencers who knocked off the U.S. and China en route to a medal in the Women’s Team Épée.
