STATE COLLEGE — Penn State was named the recipient of the 2024 Team USA Collegiate Impact Silver Award, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced in a statement. The award is in recognition of the top-contributing schools to Team USA’s performance at the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024.
Penn State and the other four inductees were honored at the National Football Foundation’s 66th annual awards on Tuesday, Dec. 10.
“We recognize football operating revenues offer important support for Olympic and Paralympic sport opportunities on campus, and how important those opportunities are to current and future Team USA athletes,” Rocky Harris, USOPC chief of sport performance, said. “We are thrilled to celebrate the schools that support Team USA, and to honor this holistic sport model with the NFF.”
The other winners were Stanford University with 23 U.S. medalists, the University of Texas — Austin and University of Kentucky with nine U.S. medalists and the University of Illinois with 20 U.S. medalists in the Paralympics.
The first two medalists for Penn State took home gold with the US women’s soccer team. Alyssa Naeher started each of the six total matches in the tournament, allowing just two goals against with 21 saves. Sam Coffey recorded 480 total minutes in five matches played.
Stephen Nedoroscik captured the country’s hearts as he became known as the “pommel horse guy.” Nedoroscik helped the USA win bronze in the team competition and then got a second bronze on his own in the pommel horse event.
Joe Kovacs continued his dominance in shot put, with his eighth consecutive medal in the event. Kovacs took home a silver medal in the 2024 Olympics.
Two more silver medalists out of Penn State were Micha Hancock and Haleigh Washington. Both women were a part of the electric US women’s volleyball team that eventually fell to Italy in the gold medal game.
Sticking with volleyball, there were also three Nittany Lions on the men’s side. Matt Anderson, Max Holt and Aaron Russell helped secure a bronze for the US Olympic team.
Aaron Brooks and Kyle Dake got in the action for the wrestling team, both receiving bronze medals for their work.
The final medalist from Penn State for the US team was Kayla Canett in women’s rugby.
