Badgers in Paris 2024

Meet the 2024 Badger Olympians, current and past

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Wisconsin students and alumni combined have won a total of 50 Olympic medals, including 13 gold medals, in Olympics history. This year our Badger Olympians are competing on the world’s largest stage in hopes of bringing home some more hardware. 

This year there are 18 current or former Badgers competing in the Olympics this summer across 9 different sports and representing 6 different countries. Of our Badgers in Paris, we have 10 women and 8 men representing the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

With many Olympic debuts as well as veteran Olympians as members of our Badger Olympic team, the Paris 2024 games are surely going to be one you don’t want to miss!

Let's meet the athletes:

Rowing: 4 

This year there are 4 Badger women who will be competing on Team USA rowing, which continues a Wisconsin tradition of having at least one women’s or men’s rower compete in every Olympics since 1968. The last time four Wisconsin women competed in the same Olympics was the 1992 games in Barcelona, Spain.

Sophia Vitas- USA

Sophia Vitas, 31, will be competing in the Women’s Double Sculls event for Team USA. She is a Wisconsin native and UW-Madison 2016 graduate, who started rowing as a walk-on for Wisconsin. She nearly made Team USA in 2020 for the Tokyo Olympics, but was unable to continue in competition due to a fractured rib. Paris 2024 will be Vita’s Olympic debut.  

Maddie Wanamaker- USA

Maddie Wanamaker, 29, will be competing in the Women’s Eight event for Team USA. She is a Wisconsin native and UW-Madison 2017 graduate, who started rowing as a walk-on for Wisconsin. She is following in her parent’s footsteps, as they also both rowed at UW-Madison. Paris 2024 will be Wanamaker’s second Olympic appearance.  

Lauren O’Connor- USA

Lauren O’Connor, 25, will be competing in the Women’s Quadruple Sculls event for Team USA. She is a Wisconsin native and a UW-Madison 2020 graduate, who started rowing as a walk-on for Wisconsin. She also has a black belt in martial arts, and Paris 2024 will be O’Connor’s Olympic debut. 

Grace Joyce- USA

Grace Joyce, 26, will be competing in the Women’s Quadruple Sculls event for Team USA. She is from Illinois and is a UW-Madison 2020 graduate. She rowed alongside Lauren O’Connor throughout her collegiate career and will be sharing a boat once again in the Olympics. Paris 2024 will be Joyce’s Olympic debut. 

Swimming: 2 

There are two current UW-Madison students who have qualified for Paris 2024 and will be representing Team USA and Team New Zealand. 

Phoebe Bacon- USA

Phoebe Bacon, 21, will be competing in the 200m Backstroke for Team USA. She is from Maryland and is a current senior at UW-Madison. Paris 2024 will be her second Olympic appearance, with her first being at only 18 years old. She finished 5th in the 200 backstroke in Tokyo 2020, and she is a two-time NCAA champion.

Taiko Torepe-Ormsby- New Zealand

Taiko Torepe-Ormsby, 20, will be competing in the 50m freestyle for Team New Zealand. He is from Christchurch, New Zealand and is a current junior at UW-Madison. Torepe-Ormsby recently became the first ever Kiwi to swim the 50m freestyle in under 22 seconds. Paris 2024 will be his Olympic debut. 

Soccer: 1 

There is one Badger alumni who is playing on the USA Women’s soccer team.

Rose Lavelle- USA

Rose Lavelle, 29, is a member of the USWNT and will be representing Team USA. She is from Ohio and graduated from UW-Madison in 2016. She is currently with Gotham FC of the National Women’s Soccer League. Paris 2024 will be her second Olympic appearance after winning a bronze medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Rugby: 1 

Alev Kelter- USA

Alev Kelter, 33, is a member of Team USA’s women’s rugby 7’s team. She is from Alaska and graduated from UW-Madison in 2015. She played both soccer and ice hockey while at Wisconsin, and won 2 NCAA ice hockey championships during her time. She started playing rugby at age 22, and will be making her 3rd Olympic appearance in Paris. 

Volleyball: 2

Dana Rettke- USA

Dana Rettke, 25, is a middle blocker for the USA Women’s volleyball team. She is from Illinois, graduated from UW-Madison in 2021 and stands at 6’8”. She also helped lead the Badgers to a national championship in 2021. Rettke previously qualified for the 2020 Tokyo games, but was ultimately left off the final roster, so Paris 2024 will be her Olympic debut. 

Lauren Carlini- USA

Lauren Carlini, 29, is a setter for the USA Women’s volleyball team. She is from Illinois and graduated from UW Madison in 2017. Similarly to teammate Dana Rettke, she was left off the Olympic roster for the Tokyo games, so Paris 2024 will be her Olympic debut. She will soon be playing for the new professional volleyball team in Madison, LOVB. 

Track and Field: 5

Mohammed Ahmed – Canada
One of Canada’s most decorated distance runners, Mohammed Ahmed will be competing in his fourth Olympic Games in the 10,000 meters. Born in Somaliland, raised in Kenya and later Ontario, Ahmed graduated from UW–Madison in 2014. He won silver in Tokyo and continues to be a dominant force on the world stage at age 33.

Zach Ziemek – USA
Ziemek, 31, is a decathlete making his third Olympic appearance after finishing 7th in Tokyo and 6th in Rio. The Illinois native graduated from UW–Madison in 2016 and now works as a volunteer assistant coach for the Badgers. He’ll look to build on his consistent improvement in Paris.

Adam Spencer – Australia
Currently a student-athlete at UW–Madison, Adam Spencer, 22, will be making his Olympic debut in the 1500 meters. Hailing from McKinnon, Victoria, Spencer has been a rising star in Australian middle-distance running.

Morgan McDonald – Australia
Morgan McDonald, 28, is returning for his second Olympics in the 5000 meters. A 2019 UW–Madison graduate from Sydney, McDonald turned pro with Under Armour the same year. He competed in Tokyo but did not advance past the heats — he’ll look to improve in Paris.

Ollie Hoare – Australia
Ollie Hoare, 27, also from Sydney, will be competing in his second Olympics in the 1500 meters. A 2020 UW–Madison grad, Hoare has established himself internationally and credits Morgan McDonald as a close friend and mentor. Together, they form part of a strong Australian distance squad with Badger roots.

Marathon: 1

Emily Sisson – USA

Though she spent only one year at UW–Madison in 2010 before transferring, Emily Sisson’s time as a Badger helped launch her professional running career. Now 32, she competed in the 10,000 meters in Tokyo, but has since shifted focus to the marathon. She qualified for Paris in the marathon and is currently sponsored by New Balance.

Basketball: 1

Aleem Ford – Puerto Rico
Aleem Ford, a 2020 UW–Madison graduate, will be representing Puerto Rico in men’s basketball. The 6’8” forward has played professionally in the NBA and abroad, and his Olympic debut in Paris marks a major step in his career on the international stage.

Whether they’re chasing a medal, making their Olympic debut, or returning to the Games with experience under their belts, each of these athletes carries a piece of Wisconsin with them. As they compete on the global stage, Badger fans around the world will be cheering them on proudly.