The Paralympics in Paris wrapped up earlier this month with some of the largest crowds ever at Paralympic Games events. Meanwhile, back here in the States, colleges and universities are well underway with the fall semester meaning fall sports such as Cross Country, Field Hockey, Soccer, Volleyball, and Football are going full tilt. In short, September has been a very exciting time for Olympic and Paralympic sports, so please continue and read about some of the highlights below.
North Carolina Well-Represented in the Paralympic Games
We followed 9 Paralympic athletes from North Carolina who represented the United States while competing in Paris at the 2024 Paralympic Games. Here are their results:
Hannah Aspden of Raleigh competed in Para Swimming in the S9 category in the Women’s 100 Meter Backstroke, the Women’s 100 Meter Freestyle, and the Mixed 4×100 Medley Relay, finishing 6th in all 3 events.
Carson Clough of Charlotte is a Para Triathlete who won the Silver Medal in the PTS4 race.
Heather Erickson, who hails from Fayetteville, NC, was a member of the U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team that captured the Gold with a 3-1 win over China in the finals.
Desmond Jackson of Durham is a Para Track & Field athlete who competed in the Men’s 100 Meter Sprint where he finished in 7th place.
Marla Liana Mutia is a Para Judo athlete from Raleigh who competed in the Women’s 57kg J1 category where she won the Silver Medal.
Emma Schleck of Statesville was also a member of the U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team that won Gold in Paris.
Morgan Stickney, who is from Cary, competed in 3 Para Swimming S7 events, including the Women’s 400 Meter Freestyle, the Women’s 100 Meter Freestyle, and the Women’s 200 Meter Individual Medley, where she finished with a Gold Medal, Silver Medal, and 7th place respectively
Conner Stroud, from Rutherfordton is a Wheelchair Tennis athlete who succeeded in winning the very first Paralympic Tennis match held at Stade Roland Garros in Paris with a victory over his Costa Rican opponent in the first round. Conner lost to Japan in Round 2 but also played doubles where he and his partner, Casey Ratzlaff, lost to Argentina in Round 1
Evan Wilkerson, another Para Swimming athlete, is from Wake Forest. Evan competed in 4 events in the S12 category in Paris including the 4×100 Mixed Freestyle Relay, the Men’s 100 Meter Backstroke, the Men’s 100 Meter Butterfly, and the Men’s 100 Meter Freestyle. His highest finish was 5th on the relay, followed by 9th in the backstroke, 13th in the Butterfly, and 15th in the Freestyle
The Importance of University Olympic Sports
After the Paris Olympic Games, the NCAA published the following statistics:
“At the 2024 Paris Olympics, 272 former, current and incoming NCAA student-athletes combined to earn 330 medals for 26 countries. The medalists competed in 21 Olympic sports and represented 90 schools and 22 conferences. Of the medals earned by athletes with NCAA ties, 127 were gold, 95 were silver, and 108 were bronze. Women accounted for 58% of all NCAA medalists and 80, or 63%, of the 127 gold medals. The United States included the most NCAA medalists of any country, with 184 medalists and 236 medals. The top medal-winning schools included Stanford (34 medals by 22 athletes), Cal (17 medals by 13 athletes, Texas (16 medals by 13 athletes), Virginia (15 medals by 8 athletes), and the University of Southern California (13 medals by 12 athletes). The top medal-winning sports were Swimming (79 medals won by 40 athletes), track & field (76 medals by 62 athletes), Basketball (28 medals by 28 athletes), Volleyball (27 medals by 27 athletes), and Water Polo (23 medals by 23 athletes).”
Those amazing stats truly underscore the critical importance of the US college and university athletics programs to Olympic sports around the world. And to add an exclamation point to that fact, consider that France’s hero of the Olympic Games, and an athlete whose swimming achievements at the Games were unprecedented, Leon Marchand, is a student athlete right here in the U.S. at Arizona State University!
News Brief
Our 2029 FISU Games team is still small but starting to grow. Britt Davis is the newest addition to the 2029 World University Games staff. Britt, a resident of Raleigh, will serve as Vice President of Development, responsible for the Campaign for the Games, a multi-million-dollar fundraising campaign in support of what will be the largest event in history in the Carolinas. Britt most recently served as Vice President for Advancement at Campbell University where he was responsible for all university development initiatives including capital fundraising, major gifts, annual fund, and planned giving.
The W. Trent Ragland, Jr. Foundation of Raleigh has approved a 2024 renewal grant for the 2029 World University Games in the amount of $50,000. The grant is referred to as a “renewal” since the Foundation provided a similar grant in support of the Games last fall. The W. Trent Ragland, Jr. Foundation’s mission is to support “organizations that promote self-reliance; patriotism; independence; respect for God, country, and family; initiative; conservation; knowledge; compassion; and community primarily in Wake County, NC.” We are grateful to the Foundation, its board and administrative leadership, for their continued faith in, and support of, the 2029 FISU World University Games project.
In a similar vein, we are delighted to announce the kickoff of our individual fundraising efforts in the Campaign for the Games. To help initiate that effort both Stan Campbell, a member of the North Carolina Organizing Committee Board of Directors, and Smedes York, member of the NCOC Leadership Team (which is considered the NCOC’s steering committee), have each made a pledge of $50,000 to the Campaign. Stan’s donation will be in the name of Stan & Georgia Campbell, while Smedes’ contribution will be in the name of the Smedes York Family. We thank the Campbells and Yorks for both their generosity and leadership and for getting the individual fundraising phase of the Campaign off to a great start.
If you, your family, your foundation, or company would like to get involved in, or make a contribution to, the Campaign for the Games, please contact Britt Davis at 910.814.7784 or bdavis@ncusa2029wug.com.
Thanks to one of our avid monthly WUG2029 eNews Update readers, Matt Cleaver, we were remiss in not including Todd DeSorbo, Head Coach of the USA Women’s Olympic Swimming Team in Paris, among our North Carolina-connected coaches and athletes participating in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games (see our July issue of the eNews Update here). Todd graduated from UNC Wilmington and became Assistant Coach at NC State University before becoming Head Swimming Coach at the University of Virginia, where his teams have won multiple ACC and NCAA Championships. While serving at NCSU, Todd even swam locally with the Raleigh Area Masters Swim Team, a regional adult swimming team that was founded in 1980 by our NCOC Chair & CEO, Hill Carrow. Thank you, Matt, for setting the record straight
Quick Recent Women’s Collegiate Sports Highlights:
- NC State Volleyball notched its 200th win in program history with a win over the University of Virginia yesterday.
- Defending National Champion NC State Women’s Cross Country took the title at the Adidas XC Challenge on September 20.
- The Duke Women’s Soccer Team earlier this month took down the Tar Heels 1-0 for the first-ever home victory by Duke Women’s Soccer over the UNC Women in the 53 matches that have been held between the two schools.
Support the Games
Be a vital part of championing the world’s premier event for student-athletes! Bringing the 2029 World University Games to our state promises unparalleled economic advantages for our communities. Seize the chance to spotlight North Carolina on the global stage! Click below to explore the myriad of ways you can contribute and support the Games.
Don’t Forget to Shop Local and Support the WUG
Our online store features 2029 FISU World University Games t’s, polos, hoodies, tanks, caps, and more. Items come in a wide variety of colors, and the store has proven to be quite a popular online shopping destination. Don’t miss your opportunity to show your support of the 2029 FISU World University Games by snagging some excellent quality, name-brand clothing and caps!
Sponsor Thank You’s
We cannot thank our sponsors enough for their strong belief in, and generous support of, the 2029 World University Games. We encourage you to patronize their businesses and give them your own personal thanks when you do.