LEWISBURG, Pa.- Bucknell men’s track & field continued its long history of academic and athletic success by placing three student-athletes on the 2025 Outdoor Track & Field Academic All-League Team as announced Tuesday by the conference office. Keenan LaMontagne, Wade Shomper, and Braden Stryker received the honor. 

LaMontagne, an electrical engineering major, notched an impressive 3.88 GPA. The junior thrower delivered a fourth-place finish in the discus as part of the Bison’s 3-4-5-6-7 placement at the 2025 Patriot League Outdoor Championships. His fling went 48.30m (158-5). LaMontagne delivered six top five finishes this spring. 

Shomper, an International Relations and Economics major, starred with a 3.77 GPA and was Bucknell’s nominee for Scholar Athlete of the Year. The junior superman won two medals at the Outdoor Championships. He mined gold in the shot put, throwing 17.48m (57-4.25), a mark which set the school record. Shomper now owns the school record in both the indoor and outdoor shot put. He followed up his gold medal with a bronze in the discus throw. His toss went 48.38m (158-9), a personal best for the junior. Shomper became the first Bison since Connor McMenamin (2021) to win gold at the PL Outdoor Championships and the first Bison since Timothy Medlock (2009) to finish first in the shot put. 

Stryker, a Management & Organizations major, has obtained a 3.71 GPA. The senior thrower supplied two top five finishes at the Outdoor Championships. He placed fourth in the shot put, throwing 16.79m (55-1), and fifth in the discus, tossing 48.05m (157-8). Stryker moved into fourth all-time in the shot put this season with his 17.05m (55-11.25) mark at the Bucknell Team Challenge. 

2025 Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Karsen Vesty, Boston University, So.

2025 Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Academic All-Patriot League Team 

Brian McSweeney	(Army West Point)
Javan Guevara-Cragwell	(Army West Point)
Jaxon Hammond	(Army West Point)
Nathan Davis	(Army West Point)
Karsen Vesty	(Boston University)
Owen Faulha	(Boston University)
Ryan Rosenberger	(Boston University)
Shamiso Sikaneta	(Boston University)
Steven Franco	(Boston University)
Braden Stryker	(Bucknell)
Keenan LaMontagne	(Bucknell)
Wade Shomper	(Bucknell)
Cole Blair	(Colgate)
Ethan Eisner	(Colgate)
Brian Fennelly	(Holy Cross)
Titan Casey	(Lafayette)
Jonathan Bennett	(Lehigh)
Patrez Thomas	(Lehigh)
Caleb Walker	(Navy)
Joe Hurt	(Navy)
Sheldon Ulmer	(Navy)

STATESBORO— Georgia Southern volleyball has released its 2025 schedule. Beginning on Aug. 23, the team has one preseason matchup and 27 regular-season contests.

The Eagles have scheduled one preseason exhibition game, taking on Power opponent South Carolina in a neutral-site matchup at Enmarket Arena in Savannah on Aug. 23. More details on this game will be released in the future.

GS travels to Jacksonville for a tournament hosted by North Florida on Aug. 29 to kick off the regular season with opponents and times still to be determined.

The Eagles have their first midweek contest since 2023 when they take on The Citadel on Sep. 2 for the home opener at Hanner Fieldhouse

The lone tournament at Hanner Fieldhouse, the Eagle Invitational, takes place from Sep. 5-7. GS takes on a pair of teams that made the NIVC last season – Pacific (Sep. 6) and Mercer (Sep. 7), with the former facing off against Georgia Southern for the first time in history.

The Eagles move on to another road tournament the next week, hosted by Georgia in Athens from Sep. 13-15. On Sep. 14, GS plays the host Bulldogs for the first time since the 2015 season.

Finally, the non-conference slate closes out the week of Sep. 18 with a pair of games – South Carolina State (Sep. 18) and the first matchup with NCAA Tournament team and ACC opponent Florida State since 2013 on Sep. 20. It will be the Seminoles’ first-ever trip to Statesboro.

Sun Belt play begins on the road in Norfolk at Old Dominion (Sep. 25-26) and features big home matchups with App State (Oct. 16-17) and Coastal Carolina (Oct. 31-Nov. 1), closing with a weekend set with Louisiana (Nov. 13-14).

The Eagles went 23-7 in 2025 en route to an NIVC berth and look to continue the momentum and grab the team’s first NCAA tournament berth since 2013.

NEW ORLEANS – Tulane University had six athletic programs earn perfect multi-year APR (Academic Progress Rates) scores, the department announced Tuesday afternoon. Also, twelve (12) programs either improved or equaled their multi-year APR score from last year, including men’s tennis, which recorded a perfect rate for the 14th consecutive year.

The other Green Wave programs with perfect multi-year rates were men’s cross country, men’s track, bowling, golf, and women’s tennis.

Additionally, football had its best rate in program history with a 986, four points better than its previous high of 982 set this time last year.

Tulane currently has five other teams, besides men’s tennis, that have perfect multi-year APR score streaks of three years or more in women’s golf (5), women’s tennis (4), men’s cross country (4), bowling (3) and men’s track (3).

“Tulane is a special place and can ultimately be the model for college athletics,” Ben Weiner Director of Athletics Chair David Harris said. “Our student-athletes excel in the classroom, in the fields of competition and in the community. Today’s news is further evidence of this, and all the credit goes to our student athletes and staff for continuing to make this a reality.”

Fourteen (14) programs have a multi-year APR average higher than the national mark of 984, equaling or bettering the department’s standard for the fourth consecutive year. Those scores cover the academic years 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23, 2023-24.

During the 2023-24 academic school year alone, Tulane had 14 teams that achieved a perfect 1000 academic progress rate in baseball, men’s basketball, men’s cross country, men’s tennis, men’s track, women’s basketball, bowling, women’s cross country, golf, beach volleyball, swimming, women’s tennis, women’s tennis and volleyball.  

“At Tulane we value the entire student athlete for both their academic and athletic performances,” said Deputy AD, Student Services/SWA Dr. Charvi Greer. “We have a very balanced approach to achieving that success, both in and out of the classroom, and that is a crucial component to maintaining the standard that we’ve set.”

The NCAA Division I academic progress rates system was implemented as part of “an ambitious academic reform effort,” according to the NCAA’s website. The APR holds institutions accountable for academic progress of student-athletes through a team-based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete for each academic term.

WE ARE NOLA BUILT

Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, All-Americans, professional athletes, and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out our story at NolaBuilt.com.

 

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – Inez Bordeaux said she spent a month inside the former medium security institution also known as “the workhouse” in 2016.

Following her release, she spent years as one of the leading voices to close the facility.

“It was only 30 days but it was the longest 30 days of my life,” she said. “It is infested with rats and roaches, it does have black mold growing on the walls, you see the snakes and the roaches in people’s food, just being treated like you’re something someone scraped off the bottom of their shoe every day.”

Former Mayor Tishaura Jones closed the jail in 2022.

Demolition started this year.

Tuesday, ArchCity Defenders announced they reached a $4 million dollar settlement agreement with the city of St. Louis. The firm estimates at least 16,000 formerly incarcerated people could receive a portion of the cash settlement.

“The way it’ll be calculated is based on a daily rate,” said Nathaniel Carroll, one of ArchCity’s senior staff attorneys. “Everyone who submits a claim form, we’ll add up the total days they spent in jail and we’ll divide the settlement money by those days and you get a daily rate.”

Former Mayor Jones signed off on the settlement two days after losing her re-election bid.

Current Mayor Cara Spencer said at a news conference Tuesday the city will follow a judge’s decision.

“I can’t really speak to those decisions that was before I was sworn into office,” she told reporters. “But, of course, the city is planning on if the court, still subject to court approval of course but the city does intend to support that.

First Alert 4 asked ArchCity Defenders if Jones’ past support of closing the workhouse and her administration signing off on the settlement agreement was a conflict of interest.

“While the mayor might have been a fan of some of the things we did, the city counselor’s office was really driving the litigation,” Carroll said. “Which is why there was an appeal even though Mayor Jones wanted to settle or at least intimated, I would say but we had been negotiating prior to the transition and the election as well with the city councilor’s office, not with the mayor.”

Years after her incarceration, Bordeaux who now works as the Deputy Director of Organizing at ArchCity Defenders said she is in the process of establishing a community resource hub for former inmates.

Looking forward to finally closing the book on the workhouse.

“It’s a closure,” she said. “An end of the workhouse era.”

ArchCity Defenders said if the settlement moves smoothly through the courts, they expect payments to start to go out in late summer or early fall.

Those who believe they might be eligible for part of the settlement money can fill out a form here.

Copyright 2025 KMOV. All rights reserved.

SOUTHERN SECTION BOYS VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS

TUESDAY’S RESULTS

DIVISION 1
Pool Play (Round 2 of 3)

Pool A
#1 Mira Costa d. #8 San Clemente, 25-12, 25-19, 25-13
#4 Corona del Mar d. #5 Beckman, 26-24, 25-17, 25-27, 25-17

Pool B
#2 Huntington Beach d. #7 Redondo Union, 25-23, 25-23, 25-19
#6 Newport Harbor at #3 Loyola, Wednesday at 6 p.m.

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Matches at 6 p.m. unless noted)

QUARTERFINALS
DIVISION 2
Mater Dei at Edison
El Segundo at St. Francis
Burbank Burroughs at St. Margaret’s
Santa Margarita at Peninsula

DIVISION 3
Los Alamitos at Tesoro
North Torrance at San Marino
Warren at Santa Monica
Orange Lutheran at Mission Viejo

DIVISION 4
Westlake at Corona Santiago
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at Santa Barbara
Dos Pueblos at Crean Lutheran
Sage Hill at Royal

DIVISION 5
Oak Park at Newbury Park
Esperanza at Wiseburn Da Vinci
Kennedy at California
Rancho Alamitos at Vista Murrieta

DIVISION 6
Rio Hondo Prep at Quartz Hill, 7 p.m.
Oxford Academy at Village Christian
OC Pacifica Christian at Laguna Blanca
El Toro at Yucaipa

DIVISION 7
Brea Olinda at Lakewood
La Serna at San Jacinto
San Gabriel Academy at Jurupa Valley
Brentwood vs. Hawthorne MSA at Bud Carson Middle School

DIVISION 8
Carpinteria at Lancaster Desert Christian, 4 p.m.
Katella at Southlands Christian
Channel Islands vs. Wildwood at Crossroads
Alta Loma at Avalon

DIVISION 9
Heritage vs. CAMS at McBride School, Long Beach
San Jacinto Valley at Firebaugh
Whittier Christian at Downey Calvary Chapel, 5 p.m.
Beverly Hills at Yeshiva, 6:30 p.m.

Note: Open Division pool play (third round), semifinals in Divisions 2-9 May 10; Finals in all divisions May 16 or 17.

Courtesy: USOPC

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee today announced the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame, Class of 2025, which will be honored and inducted in a special ceremony held Saturday, July 12 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Bound by excellence and defined by legacy, the Class of 2025 brings together eight individual Olympic and Paralympic athletes, two teams, two legends, one coach and one special contributor, together representing some of the most celebrated names in Olympic and Paralympic history.

The inductees include Steve Cash (sled hockey), Gabby Douglas (artistic gymnastics), Anita DeFrantz (legend: rowing), Allyson Felix (track and field), Susan Hagel (Para archery, Para track and field, wheelchair basketball), Flo Hyman (legend: indoor volleyball), Kerri Walsh Jennings (beach volleyball), Mike Krzyzewski (coach: basketball), Phil Knight (special contributor: Nike founder), Bode Miller (alpine skiing), Marla Runyan (Para track and field), Serena Williams (tennis), the 2010 Four-man Bobsled Team, and the 2004 Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team.

SwimSwam Note: Two swimmers, Paralympians Cortney Jordan and Sharon Hetrick, along with legendary swim coach James “Doc” Counsilman, were among the nominees to be inducted.

“We’re proud to welcome the Class of 2025 into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame and to honor the extraordinary accomplishments they’ve made as representatives of Team USA,” said USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland. “This induction celebrates not only their remarkable performances and lasting impact but also acknowledges the essential contributions of those who supported their journeys every step of the way. Earning a place in the Hall of Fame is no small feat—especially given the incredible talent across this year’s group of finalists.”

The Class of 2025 has represented the United States at a combined 42 Olympic and Paralympic Games, earning 51 medals, including 35 golds. This year also marks the introduction of three new sports or disciplines to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame: Para archery, represented by Susan Hagel; women’s wheelchair basketball, through the 2004 U.S. women’s team; and women’s rowing, with Anita DeFrantz becoming the first female rower inducted. Additionally, the U.S. men’s four-man bobsled team becomes the first bobsled team honored, and Steve Cash makes history as the first individual sled hockey player selected in the Paralympian category.

National Governing Bodies, alumni, current athletes and additional members of the Olympic and Paralympic community were invited to nominate eligible athletes. From there, a nominating committee comprised of individuals from the Olympic and Paralympic Movement narrowed down the pool of nominees to a set of finalists. The Class of 2025 was determined by a voting process that includes Olympians and Paralympians, members of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic family and an online vote open to fans. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame was one of the first national sports halls of fame to include fan voting as part of its selection process, and this year, nearly 300,000 votes were cast across all platforms.

This will be the 18th class inducted into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame, bringing the total to 210 inductees (individuals and teams). The first class was inducted in 1983, and the most recent class was inducted in 2022. Find the entire list of Hall of Fame inductees here. The weekend will also feature the 2025 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum’s Festival, taking place July 10-13 in Colorado Springs, known as Olympic City USA. The festival will feature athlete meet and greets, free access to the USOPM, and special events including the Festival Kickoff Celebration, Community Movie Night, and more – all celebrating the legacy of America’s greatest athletes. Learn more at usopm.org/hof.
The distinguished class of 2025 includes:

Steve Cash (Paralympian: sled hockey – 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018)  Steve Cash is a legendary figure in sled hockey, celebrated as a three-time Paralympic gold medalist and five-time world champion. Widely regarded as one of the greatest goaltenders in the sport’s history, Cash made history at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games by becoming the only goalie ever to record five shutouts in a single tournament. He holds virtually every major goaltending record in sled hockey, both for Team USA and internationally, including most minutes played, highest save percentage, and the second-lowest goals-against average. Off the ice, Cash continues to shape the future of the sport through coaching and mentorship. He has developed specialized training programs for sled hockey goaltenders and remains deeply committed to nurturing the next generation of athletes. He is a passionate advocate for mental health, working to break down the stigma surrounding psychological challenges among elite athletes.

Gabby Douglas (Olympian: artistic gymnastics – 2012, 2016)
Gabby Douglas made history at the Olympic Games London 2012, becoming the first Black woman to win the all-around gold medal in gymnastics. A trailblazer and two-time Olympic team gold medalist (2012, 2016), Douglas also contributed to two world championship team titles, earning a total of six medals across the Olympic and world stages. She was the first U.S. gymnast to capture gold in both the all-around and team competitions at a single Olympic Games—a feat she achieved in London—and is one of only two American women to win back-to-back Olympic team golds. At just 16 years old, Douglas broke barriers and redefined what was possible in the sport. Her groundbreaking achievements helped pave the way for future generations of gymnasts, including Simone Biles, who would go on to continue her legacy of excellence and representation on the global stage.

Anita DeFrantz (Legend: rowing 1980, 1984) 
Anita DeFrantz made history at the Olympic Games Montreal 1976, winning bronze in the inaugural women’s eight event and becoming the first—and still the only—Black woman to earn an Olympic medal in rowing. Her trailblazing legacy extends far beyond the water, however, and in 1986, she became the first African American and first woman elected to the International Olympic Committee, breaking barriers at the highest levels of sport governance. DeFrantz played a pivotal role as vice president of the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Organizing Committee, helping to deliver one of the most financially and operationally successful Games in Olympic history. For her unwavering commitment to the Olympic Movement, she received the prestigious Olympic Order in 1980, and in 2024, was honored with the NCAA President’s Gerald R. Ford Award. Through two decades of leadership at the LA84 Foundation, DeFrantz has expanded access to sport for underserved youth across Los Angeles, cementing her impact on both the sport of rowing and the broader Olympic and Paralympic Movement.

Allyson Felix (Olympian: track and field – 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) 
Allyson Felix is the most decorated athlete in the history of track and field, amassing 31 medals across the Olympic Games and world championships. Over the course of five consecutive Olympic Games appearances, she earned 11 Olympic medals—including seven golds—making her the most decorated female track and field athlete in Olympic history. At the Olympic Games London 2012, Felix captured three gold medals, including anchoring a world-record-setting 4×100-meter relay. She is also a 14-time world champion and holds the record for the most career medals at the World Athletics Championships, with 20 in total. Beyond the track, Felix has become a powerful advocate. She’s been a leading voice for maternity health and gender equity, working to create better pathways for women to succeed in sport, business and family life. In 2024, she was elected to the International Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Commission and appointed to the USOPC Board of Directors—continuing her legacy of leadership and impact within the Olympic and Paralympic Movement.

Susan Hagel (Paralympian: wheelchair basketball, Para archery, Para track and field – 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996) 
Susan Hagel is a trailblazer in adaptive sport, having competed in six Paralympic Games across three different sports where she earned four gold and two bronze medals. Over the course of her decorated career, she earned numerous honors, including the prestigious International Wheelchair Basketball Federation Triad Award in 1998. A 16-time All-Tournament Team selection, Hagel was a cornerstone of 14 U.S. national teams, representing her country at the Paralympic Games, Pan American Games and Gold Cup competitions. As a member of the NWBA Hall of Fame committee, Hagel continues to champion opportunities in sport for individuals with disabilities. A role model to women and junior girls in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association, she holds the distinction of having the longest playing career of any woman in her division. Hagel’s legacy is defined not only by her athletic achievements but also by her unwavering dedication to the growth and inclusivity of adaptive sport.

Flo Hyman (Legend: indoor volleyball – 1980, 1984)
Hyman led the U.S. women’s volleyball team through the boycott of the Olympic Games Moscow 1980 but stayed with the team to lead them the silver medal in 1984, the first Olympic volleyball medal for the United States. Hyman’s tenure as an Olympic athlete was cut short by both the boycott and her death, but her legacy was solidified in just one appearance at the Olympic Games in 1984. After the Olympic Games Los Angeles 1984, she went to play professionally in Japan. Hyman is often credited with the rise of women’s volleyball in America. In 1987, National Girls and Women in Sports Day began and, in the beginning, NGWSD served as a remembrance of Hyman who passed away in 1986. After the 1984 Games, she advocated for women’s sports and testified on Capitol Hill on behalf of strengthening Title IX. This work helped pave the way for the success of women on the Olympic and Paralympic stages today.

Kerri Walsh Jennings (Olympian: volleyball – 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)
Kerri Walsh Jennings is one of the most decorated athletes in beach volleyball history. A three-time Olympic gold medalist (2004, 2008, 2012) and bronze medalist (2016), she holds the record for the most career victories in both international and domestic beach volleyball, with 135 wins. A three-time world champion (2003, 2005, 2007), Walsh Jennings also set records for the most consecutive match wins (112) and tournament wins (19). Alongside longtime partner Misty May-Treanor, she achieved an unprecedented 21 consecutive Olympic match victories across three Olympic Games. Walsh Jennings’ resilience, dominance and dedication have left an enduring legacy in the sport of beach volleyball and beyond. Despite undergoing five shoulder surgeries, she returned to win the Rio Grand Slam in 2016. In one of her most memorable feats, she competed at the Olympic Games London 2012 while five weeks pregnant.

Mike Krzyzewski (Coach: basketball – 2009, 2012, 2016)
Widely known as “Coach K,” Mike Krzyzewski is one of the most accomplished and respected figures in basketball history. As head coach of the U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball Team, he led the program to three consecutive Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012, 2016), and six overall golds as head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team. His international coaching résumé also includes silver at the 1987 World University Games, bronze medals at the 1990 and 2006 FIBA World Championships, and gold at the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship, 2010 FIBA World Championship, and 2014 FIBA World Cup. He played a pivotal role in restoring Team USA’s dominance on the world stage, taking over after bronze in 2004 and leading the “Redeem Team” to Olympic gold at Beijing 2008. Under his leadership, Team USA reestablished itself as a global powerhouse. During his 42-season tenure at Duke University, he guided the Blue Devils to five NCAA championships and a record 13 Final Four appearances—the most in NCAA men’s basketball history. A three-time Naismith College Coach of the Year, he remains the winningest coach in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history. A graduate of West Point, Krzyzewski served in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1974, reaching the rank of Captain before beginning his legendary coaching career.

Phil Knight (special contributor) 
As the visionary founder of Nike, Phil Knight has been a transformative force in the world of sport—particularly for Team USA and the realm of track and field. A steadfast partner of USA Track & Field since 1991 and Team USA since 2005, Knight’s impact has been defined by innovation, advocacy and unwavering support for athletes. From selling running shoes out of his car in the early days to building one of the most iconic athletic brands in history, Knight has consistently championed athletes and their pursuit of excellence. Knight’s commitment to sport reflects the very spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic movements. Nike is a proud partner or sponsor of numerous National Governing Bodies, and in 2014, the company signed one of the largest sponsorship deals in sports history at the time—extending its partnership with USA Track & Field for an additional 23 years. Today, Knight and Nike continue to outfit Team USA athletes during the world’s biggest sporting moments, delivering custom-designed gear for Olympians and Paralympians across both the Summer and Winter Games. Through ongoing innovation in performance apparel and global marketing campaigns that spotlight athletes’ achievements, Nike has helped Team USA athletes push boundaries and inspire audiences worldwide.

Bode Miller (Olympian: alpine skiing – 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014)
Bode Miller is one of the most accomplished alpine skiers in history. He claimed a gold medal in the alpine combined at the Olympic Winter Games Vancouver 2010 and earned three medals at the same Olympic Winter Games, leading Team USA to a record eight alpine medals. Miller’s success spanned multiple world championships, where he won back-to-back double golds in 2003 (giant slalom, alpine combined) and 2005 (downhill, super-G). He also secured two FIS overall world cup titles in 2005 and 2008. Miller is the only U.S. male skier to win world cup races in all five events—downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom and combined—accumulating 33 victories. With six Olympic medals, he ranks second behind Apolo Ohno for the most individual Winter Olympic medals by any Team USA athlete. His decade-long success helped propel the U.S. Alpine Ski Team to its most successful era. Since retiring in 2017, Miller has remained deeply engaged in the worlds of sport and innovation, cofounding the ski company Bomber to bring his vision for high-performance gear to life. Committed to giving back, he leads the Turtle Ridge Foundation, which supports youth and adaptive sports through annual fundraising events such as a ski race at Cannon Mountain and a golf and tennis tournament at Tamarack. In 2018, he joined NBC as an alpine skiing analyst for the Olympic Games, sharing his expertise with a global audience.

Marla Runyan (Paralympian: Para track and field – Paralympian – 1992, 1996 | Olympian: track and field – 2000, 2004)  
Marla Runyan made history as the first visually impaired athlete to compete in the Olympic Games and remains the only U.S. athlete to have competed in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. At the Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games, she achieved remarkable success, winning gold in the 100-, 200-, and 400-meter races as well as the long jump, while also competing in cycling. She added a fifth gold medal at the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games with a victory in the pentathlon, along with a silver in the shot put. In 2000, Runyan became the first blind athlete to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team, competing in the 1,500m event in Sydney. In Paralympic sport, Runyan held the women’s T13 400-meter world record for an astounding 29 years, until it was broken in 2024. Over the course of her career, she earned six Paralympic medals—five of them gold—and claimed three national titles in outdoor track and field and three in road 5K events. In 2001, she co-authored her autobiography, No Finish Line: My Life as I See It, offering an inspiring account of her journey. Since 2013, she has continued to make an impact as a teacher and ambassador for the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts.

Serena Williams (Olympian: tennis – 2000, 2008, 2012, 2016) 
With four Olympic gold medals and 23 Grand Slam singles titles, Serena Williams is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players in history. She ranks fifth in all-time career titles and boasts a remarkable 84% win percentage. Williams held the world No. 1 ranking in women’s singles for a total of 319 weeks, finishing as the year-end No. 1 on five occasions. Throughout her storied career, Williams revolutionized women’s tennis, redefining the sport with her unmatched power, athleticism, and mental toughness. Alongside her sister Venus, she helped usher in the power era of the women’s game, setting new standards for excellence. Together, the Williams sisters claimed 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and captured Olympic gold in Sydney 2000, Beijing 2008, and London 2012, becoming the most successful doubles team in Olympic history. From the public courts of Compton to the pinnacle of global sport, Serena Williams’ legacy transcends her records and championships—she remains an enduring symbol of determination, resilience, and inspiration.

2010 Four-Man Bobsled (Olympians: Steven Holcomb, Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler, Curt Tomasevicz)
Team Night Train, the 2010 U.S. four-man bobsled team, made history at the Olympic Winter Games Vancouver 2010 by winning gold and ending a 62-year drought in the event, Team USA’s first Olympic title since 1948. The team earned its medal at the Whistler Sliding Centre, known for its challenging course and infamous Turn 13, where six sleds crashed during the first two runs. Before Vancouver, the team won gold at the 2009 world championships in Lake Placid, marking the first U.S. victory in that event in 50 years and setting the stage for their Olympic triumph. They were later featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, marking only the second time bobsledding appeared on the magazine’s cover. The four were named Team USA’s Team of the Year in both 2009 and 2010, the first to earn the honor in back-to-back years, a feat not repeated until the U.S. women’s hockey team in 2017 and 2018. Throughout their journey, the team supported pilot Steven Holcomb as he battled and overcame a degenerative eye disease first diagnosed in 2002. The procedure he would go through, C3-R, would eventually be renamed to Holcomb C3-R, marking the first time a medical procedure was named after an Olympic athlete.

2004 Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team (Paralympians: Susan Katz, Christina Ripp, Renee Tyree, Janna (Crawford) Mizens, Carlee Hoffman-Schwarz, Stephanie Wheeler, Teresa Lannon, Jennifer (Howitt) Browning, Jennifer Warkins, Emily Hoskins, Patty Cisneros Prevo, Jana (Stump) Shelfer)
The U.S. women’s wheelchair basketball team won its first gold medal in 16 years at the Paralympic Games Athens 2004. Christina (Ripp) Schwab and Stephanie Wheeler went on to coach future national teams, Wheeler in 2016 and Schwab in 2024. Both are members of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Hall of Fame. Six members of the 2004 team (Emily Hoskins, Patty Cisneros Prevo, Carlee Hoffman-Schwarz, Wheeler, Schwab, Jennifer Warkins) returned to win gold again at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, marking the first back-to-back titles for the program. In 2004, the U.S. defeated five-time defending champion Canada in the semifinal and avenged a narrow group-stage loss to Australia with a 56–44 victory in the gold-medal game, setting the stage for continued success in future Paralympic Games.

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Saturday, July 12 in Colorado Springs. For more information on the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame, visit . Red-carpet arrivals, interviews and the induction awards will be open to the media. Access information will be available soon.