The COVID-19 pandemic postponed the 2020 Tokyo Olympics until 2021. Even with the delay, Japan remains in a state of emergency and the Olympics will take place largely behind closed doors. Open only to functionaries of the IOC and the support staffs of the various national teams, the Olympics more than ever before will be exclusively a made-for-television event.
While Japan is left to wonder what lasting impacts might befall their country as the host of the 2020 spectacle now taking place in 2021, qualifying for an Olympic team is no less meaningful to those who earn the honor. Here are the members of the Penn State community who will be participating at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
Matt Anderson
Matt Anderson was a member of the Penn State men’s volleyball team from 2006 to 2008. He was named to the second team All-East in his freshman year and the AVCA All-America second team in sophomore year. He recorded 29 kills and led Penn State (30-1) to the NCAA Championship over Pepperdine in 2008.
Anderson played on the 2006 U.S. Junior National team that placed second at the NORCECA Zone Championship to qualify for the World Championships in 2007, where he was the starting outside hitter.
Anderson was a starter on the men’s volleyball team that finished in fifth place at the 2012 London Olympics and led the team to a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He was named to the U.S. team for the 2021 Tokyo Games.
Kayla Canett
Kayla Canett was a member of the Penn State women’s rugby club team from 2017 to 2021, helping the team win the Division I National Championship.
She began playing internationally on the U.S. Women’s Eagles 15s at the 2017 Rugby World Cup. Canett made her sevens debut at the 2016 Dubai Women’s Sevens and her fifteens against Canada. She was selected to play on the US women’s sevens rugby team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Ellen Casey
Ellen Casey was a member of the women’s gymnastics team from 1996 to 1999. She holds the school record with the only perfect 10.0 score on the floor while competing against Alabama in 1999. Casey was one of the team’s top performers during her career at Penn State as she won numerous conference and NCAA awards, helping lead the team to NCAA championship appearances in all four years. She earned second team All-America in the all-around, floor and vault in 1997 and in the all-around, floor and bars in 1999. Casey was named first team All-Big Ten and an Academic All-Big Ten in 1997, 1998, and 1999 and was Big Ten Gymnast of the Year and the runner up for NCAA Female Athlete of the Year in 1999.
She is an Associate Attending Physiatrist at the Hospital for Special Surgery and an Associate Professor of Clinical Rehabilitation Medicine at the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. Casey served as co-head team physician for the US women’s gymnastics team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics which were postponed until 2021 due to the global pandemic.
Gabe Castano
Gabe Castano was a member of the Penn State men’s swimming team from 2017 to 2021, competing in the 50-meter, 100-meter, and 200-meter freestyle relay, and 200-meter medley relay. He finished third at the Big Ten Championships and qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 50-meter freestyle in his sophomore year. Castano was an All-Big Ten second team selection and an CSCAA All-American in his junior year as he finished second in the 50-meter freestyle at the Big Ten Championships and qualified for the 50-meter freestyle and 200-meter freestyle relay at the NCAA Championships in his junior year. He was a member of the 200-meter relay team that set a new school record at the 2021 Big Ten Championships.
Castano won a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay and placed fourth in the 50-meter freestyle at the 2019 Pan Am Games. He was selected to compete on the Mexican Olympic team for the men’s 50-meter freestyle at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Megan Courtney
Megan Courtney competed on the Penn State women’s volleyball team from 2012 to 2015 helping to win the NCAA championship in 2013 and 2014. She is just one of eight players to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in her career. Courtney was the AVCA Mideast Region Freshman of the year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2012, was named the NCAA Tournament MVP after leading Penn State to the title in 2014 and selected as an All-American in 2015.
Courtney has competed on the US women’s national volleyball team since 2016. She was an outside hitter in her first season but was moved to libero in 2017. Courtney helped Team USA win the gold medal at the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Nationals League to qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Casey Cunningham
Casey Cunningham has served as an assistant coach with the wrestling team since 2009. He wrestled at Central Michigan and won an NCAA championship at 157 lbs. in 1999. He was a two-time All-American and named the MAC wrestler of the year in 1998 and 1999, finishing his career with a 134-19 record.
Cunningham competed internationally, winning a silver medal at the 2008 Pan American Games and was a two-time US Nationals and World Team Trials runner-up. His wife Tara won a gold medal in weightlifting at the 2000 Sydney Games.
He served as an assistant coach at Central Michigan from 2001 to 2008, then was the head assistant coach at Iowa State in 2009. He moved to Penn State with Cael Sanderson in 2009 as an assistant coach. Cunningham is the personal coach for former Penn State wrestler David Taylor at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Micha Hancock
Micha Hancock competed as the starting setter for the Penn State women’s volleyball team from 2011 to 2014. She was a three time All-American and played on two National Championship teams in 2013 and 2014. Hancock had the best serve in Penn State women’s volleyball history and holds the career records for aces (380) and career aces per set (0.76). She was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and AVCA Mideast Region Freshman of the Year.
She put on a serving clinic against Binghamton in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament as she served 21 straight points with a school record 10 aces in the second set as Penn State won 25-3 and served another 14 straight points in the third set. Hancock was named the AVCA player of the year during the 2014 season. She led Penn State to a 128-16 record in her career.
Hancock has competed on the US Women’s Volleyball team since 2016, helping lead the team to two gold medals at the Pan Am Cup in 2017 and 2019.
Mohamed Hassan
Mohamed Hassan was a member of the Penn State men’s fencing team from 2016 to 2019. He finished his career with a 107-70 record in foil. Hassan was a two-time Egyptian World team member.
He was selected to compete on the Egyptian men’s fencing team in the individual foil for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Max Holt
Max Holt was a starting middle blocker on the Penn State men’s volleyball team from 2006 to 2009. He was name to the First Team All-East in his freshman year as the team finished second in the NCAA, losing to UCLA in the Championship match. Holt was named First team All-EIVA, hitting .447 in his sophomore year. He was an AVCA First team All-American in his junior year, hit .548, and helped to lead Penn State to a 30-1 record and the NCAA championship with a 3-1 victory over Pepperdine. He finished his collegiate career first in service aces with 207 and ranked fourth in Penn State history in hitting percentage and block assists.
Holt was the starting middle blocker that helped the U.S. men’s volleyball team, with fellow Penn Staters Matt Anderson and Aaron Russell, to win a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He was named to the U.S. Olympic Men’s Volleyball squad for the 2021 Tokyo Games.
Joe Kovacs
Joe Kovacs was a member of the Penn State men’s track and field team from 2008 to 2012. He competed in the shot put and weight throws in the indoor seasons and the shot put, discus, and hammer during the outdoor seasons. Kovacs placed second in the shot put at the 2010 Big Ten Indoor Championships, then third at the NCAA Indoor Championships with the second-best mark in Penn State history. He finished third at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in a driving rain. Kovacs was a volunteer assistant coach in 2013 as he trained for national and international competitions.
He won a silver medal in the shot put at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Kovacs finished in second place in the shot put at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials to qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Games.
Andrew Mackiewicz
Andrew Mackiewicz competed on the Penn State men’s fencing team from 2014 to 2018. He was the NCAA champion in sabre in his freshman and sophomore years of 2015 and 2016. Mackiewicz finished his career with a 128-38 record as he qualified for the NCAA Championships all four years.
Mackiewicz was successful internationally as he won a team bronze medal at the Junior World Championships in 2014 and an individual silver medal at the 2012 Cadet Worlds.
Mackiewicz was named to for the U.S. men’s sabre team by earning three top-64 finishes during the Olympic qualifying period that began in May 2019 as well as a top-32 finish at the Cairo World Cup.
Erin McLeod
Erin McLeod was a member of the Penn State women’s soccer team in 2004 and 2005 after playing her first two years at Southern Methodist. She was Penn State’s second goalkeeper to earn All-American honors and was a first-team All-Big Ten selection as she finished second in the nation with a 0.43 goals-against average in her junior year. McLeod posted a 17-2-1 record with 11 shutouts and set a school record with 857 consecutive shutout minutes over eight matches that stretched from October 1 to November 5 in 2004. She had a record of 22-0-2 with 9 shutouts in her senior year and set a new school mark with a .957 winning percentage.
McLeod competed for Canadian women’s soccer team as the starting goalkeeper in the 2008 Beijing Games and won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. She was selected as an alternate for the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Dane Miller
Dane Miller was a member of the Penn State men’s track and field team from 2004 to 2007 in the shot put and discus events. His best finish was third place in the shot put at the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Regionals.
Miller served as a coach for the American Samoa track and field team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics which were postponed until 2021 due to the global pandemic.
Alyssa Naeher
Alyssa Naeher was a member of the Penn State women’s soccer team from 2006 to 2009. She was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2007 and a first-team Big Ten and All-American in 2007 and 2008.
After graduation, she played professionally in the U.S. and Germany and for the U.S. Women’s National Team. She was the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. team that won the gold medal at the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in 2008 and she played every minute and recorded four shutouts during the run to the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup title.
Naeher was the backup goalkeeper for the U.S. women’s soccer team at the 2016 Rio Olympics and has been selected as the starting goalkeeper to the U.S. women’s soccer team for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Melissa Rodriguez
Melissa Rodriguez swam for Penn State from 2016 through 2020, specializing in breaststroke events. She holds Mexican national records at multiple distances and remains the Penn State record holder in the 200-meter breaststroke.
Rodriguez was selected by the Mexican national team to swim the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke events.
Aaron Russell
Aaron Russell started as an outside hitter on the Penn State men’s volleyball team from 2012 to 2014. He was named first-team All-EIVA in 2012, 2013 and 2014 and an AVCA First Team All-American in 2013 and 2014. Russell finished his collegiate career second on the all-time list for service aces with 136.
Russell teamed with fellow Penn Staters Matt Anderson and Max Holt to lead the men’s volleyball team to a bronze medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics. He was named as an alternate to the team for the 2021 Tokyo Games.
Shane Ryan
Shane Ryan was a member of the men’s swim team from 2012 to 2016. He won Swimmer of the Big Ten Championships in his sophomore year after winning the 100-meter freestyle and the 100-meter backstroke. Ryan earned All-American honorable mention as a member of the program record-setting 400-meter medley relay team at the NCAA championships in 2014, then earned All-American honors after finishing in second in the 100-meter backstroke and fourth in the 100-meter freestyle at the 2014 NCAA Championships. In 2015, Ryan earned first-team All-American honors after finishing third in the 100-meter backstroke at the 2015 NCAA championships.
Ryan competed for Ireland at the 2016 Rio Olympics and was first Penn State swimmer to advance out of preliminaries, placing sixteenth in the 100-meter backstroke and advanced to the semifinals with a fourteenth-place finish in the quarterfinals. Ryan will represent Ireland again at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Cael Sanderson
Cael Sanderson has been coach of the wrestling team since 2010 with a record of 146-14-2 through the 2021 season. He led Penn State to eight straight NCAA Championships in nine years from 2011 to 2019. Sanderson has coached 79 All-Americans and 27 NCAA champions to this point in his career.
Sanderson won the gold medal in the light heavyweight wrestling division at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He is the personal coach for personal coach for former Penn State wrestler David Taylor and Nittany Lion Wrestling Club members Thomas Gilman and Kyle Snyder at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Cody Sanderson
Cody Sanderson wrestled collegiately at 133 lbs, at Iowa State and finished his career with 116 wins. Sanderson finished second at the NCAA championships in 1999 and 2000, helping Iowa State in second place in 2000.
His coaching career as an administrative assistant at Iowa State from 2001 to 2003. He moved to Utah Valley State where started the program in 2003. He moved back to Iowa State as an associate head coach, then came to Penn State with his brother Cael in 2009 and has served as the associate head coach for the last thirteen years.
Sanderson is the personal coach for Nittany Lion Wrestling Club member Thomas Gilman at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Michael Shuey
Michael Shuey competed on the men’s track and field team in the javelin from 2013 to 2015, and 2017. He won the Big Ten Outdoor title in 2014 and 2015 and finished in third at the 2017 NCAA Championships.
Shuey set the javelin school record at the 2014 NACAC Championships as a member of the USA team and finished third at USA Track and Field Championships in 2017. He placed second in the javelin at the US Olympic track and field trials and qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Kaito Streets
Kaito Streets was a member of the Penn State men’s fencing team from 2012 to 2016. He was an All-American in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and was the NCAA Champion in sabre in 2014. Streets finished his career with a 124-55 record.
He was selected to compete on the Japanese men’s fencing team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
David Taylor
David Taylor was one of the best Penn State wrestlers of all time from 2010 to 2014 and was a four time Big Ten champion and four-time All-American. He won the NCAA Championship and was named the Hodge Trophy winner as the nation’s best wrestler in 2012 and 2014. He helped lead the team to four straight NCAA titles during his career and finished with a 134-3 record.
As a member of the US National Men’s Wrestling Team, he finished third at the World University Games and US World Team Trials in 2013 and finished in second at the US World Team Trials in 2014 and 2017. Taylor won the World Freestyle Wrestling Club Cup Championship and placed third at the US Olympic Team Trials in 2016.
He won the 86kg weight class, defeating fellow Penn Stater Bo Nickal, at the 2021 US Olympic Wrestling Trials to qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Games.
Khalil Thompson
Khalil Thompson competed on the men’s fencing team from 2014 to 2016, posting a 55-19 record. He qualified for the NCAA tournament in both seasons.
Thompson was named an alternate on the U.S. men’s sabre team for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Erica Walsh Dambach
Erica Walsh Dambach has been the head coach of the women’s soccer team since 2007, with a record of 228-74-1 through the 2021 season. Her teams have won eleven Big Ten regular season championships and four Big Ten tournament titles. Walsh guided Penn State to the NCAA championship in 2015 and finished as runner up in 2012. She was four-time Big Ten Coach of the Year and the National Coach of the Year in 2012 and 2015. Her teams have claimed ten Big Ten Championships and made sixteen NCAA Tournament appearances.
Walsh was an assistant coach for the U.S. National Team in 2008 and helped coach team to win gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Her main responsibility was team defense, which held Brazil scoreless in the gold medal final. She has been named as an assistant coach at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Haleigh Washington
Haleigh Washington competed on the women’s volleyball team from 2014 to 2017. She helped the team win the NCAA championship in her freshman year and was on two other teams that advanced to the Final Four. Washington was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, hitting .463 and honored as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the year, leading the NCAA with a .503 hitting percentage as a senior. She finished her career in second in career hitting percentage with a .458 average and seventh in total blocks with 580. She was selected as an All-American in 2015, 2016, and 2017.
She has competed on Team USA since 2018 and helped lead the team to a gold medal at the 2018 Pan American Cup. Washington helped the team to qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics with a win at the FIVB Volleyball Nationals League in 2019.