A busy summer ahead for Penn State athletics

Ah, the hot days of summer… hot, muggy, sluggish. But wait, this summer will be anything but boring and ordinary. Several University of Pennsylvania athletes from humble backgrounds are aiming for the biggest stage in the sports world: the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. A lifelong dream that only comes true once every four years, the possibility of becoming an Olympian and winning a medal is the pinnacle of an athlete’s journey.

Leading up to Paris, various sports will compete in multiple Olympic qualifiers and other national championships. Sports like track and field and swimming will have athletes trying to earn a ticket to the City of Light at the Olympic Trials. Additionally, various sports like rowing, lacrosse, and baseball will compete in national and NCAA championships.

Tracking and Field

Numerous track and field athletes will be competing in several events throughout the month of June. Both the men’s and women’s teams have just finished the NCAA Eastern Qualifiers in Lexington, Kentucky. The women’s team performed well, with three individuals and two relays qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Additionally, the men’s team has three individuals who have qualified for the West Coast. The championships will be held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon from June 5-8. This venue has hosted the championships over 10 times, and this will be the 15th time the championships will be held in Oregon. In late June, the U.S. Olympic Trials will also be held at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field, marking the eighth time it has been held at this venue. All track and field events for athletes who have qualified for the Olympics will be held during the first two weeks of August.

Athletes to watch include rising star Campton Kamm, who will compete in the high jump, and recent graduate Bella Whittaker, who will compete in the 200 and 400 meter races. Kamm 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

Splashing and sprinting, several University of Pennsylvania swimmers are looking to make a name for themselves this summer by achieving their penultimate goal: the Olympic team. But first, the swimmers must qualify at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, which will be held over a week in mid-June at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Most notably, rising senior breaststroker Matt Fallon has his sights set on Paris in his specialty event, the 200-meter breaststroke. The Olympic hopeful recently won a race at the TYR Pro Swimming Series meet in San Antonio. Fallon also won a medal at last year’s World Championships, winning a bronze medal in the 200-meter breaststroke. He is expected to be one of the top seeds at this year’s Olympic Trials. Fallon is known for his blazing speed in the second half of the race, overtaking his rivals mid-race.

Joining Fallon on the team is recent graduate Anna Kalandadze, who specializes in long distance freestyle and individual medley. Kalandadze will compete in the 1,650-yard freestyle, setting an Ivy League record in the event at this year’s Ivy Championships. Kalandadze also represented the U.S. at the World University Games in China last summer, where she placed eighth in the mile. She has already set numerous records, and she also holds the University of Pennsylvania team record in the 400-yard individual medley. With a rigorous training regimen that includes swimming as much as 11,000 yards in a day, Kalandadze is ready to bring her speed to the Motor Speedway city of Indianapolis.

baseball

Coming off an Ivy League championship and a berth in the NCAA Regional Tournament, the University of Pennsylvania baseball team will compete in the NCAA Regional Tournament this week. Entering the Ivy League Tournament as the fourth and final seed, the Quakers showed grit on their way to the championship with wins over Columbia, Princeton and Cornell. In the NCAA Regional Tournament, the Quakers will compete in the Charlottesville Regional Tournament to face No. 12 Virginia. Last year, the Red and Blue advanced to the NCAA Super Regional Tournament but ultimately lost to Southern Mississippi.

Rowing

The women’s rowing team recently traveled across the Schuylkill River to Cherry Hill, New Jersey to compete in the Ivy League Championships. The Red and Blue teams will compete in the NCAA Championships this weekend in Bethel, Ohio, while the men’s rowing team participated in the EARC Sprints in Worcester, Massachusetts a few weeks ago. The team will now head to West Windsor, New Jersey to compete in the International Rowing Association National Championships in early June.

Looking ahead to the summer as a whole, there are plenty of exciting events in the sports world at Penn State, so be sure to have fun, relax, and enjoy what is sure to be an unforgettable summer.