When the 2024 Paris Olympics kicked off on Friday, July 26, Texas Longhorns were in full force waving from the passing vessels on the Seine. From coaches to athletes, The University of Texas at Austin was well represented.
Among the impressive athletes who will be going for gold are a number of McCombs alumni, all who made significant showings while obtaining their degrees at UT.
Ryan Crouser, BSF ’16: Track and Field, Shot put
Originally from Oregon, Ryan was a huge asset to The University of Texas at Austin track and field team while an undergrad at McCombs. As a member of that team, he was a four-time NCAA shot put champion and nine-time NCAA All-American. He has won two gold medals at both the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 and again in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. He also holds the World Championship Shot Put title.
Scottie Scheffler, BBA ’18: Golf
Scottie hails from New Jersey originally but enjoys being a Longhorn. He most recently won the 2023 Masters Championship, and reached the number one golf ranking in May 2022, a title he has held for 90 days. He is the first player to win The Players Championship in back-to-back years. And, while Scottie has had 12 total PGA Tour wins, this will be his first Olympics.
Yvonne Anderson, BBA ’12: Women’s Basketball
A standout player for UT, Yvonne chose to be a Longhorn over Illinois, Missouri, and Vanderbilt. In 2010, ESPN Magazine listed her as an Academic All-District Six Second Team selection. She was also a 2011 Capital One Academic All-District Six First Team nominee. While attending UT, she was also on the Honor Roll, maintaining a 4.0 GPA in 2008 and 2009. She obtained Serbian citizenship and represents Serbia internationally.
Kaitlin Knifton, BBA ’22: Women’s Rowing
Twenty-four-year-old Kaitlin Knifton will be attending her first Olympics this year, but that doesn’t mean she is untested. She was an integral part of the championship University of Texas at Austin Women’s Rowing Team. She is a three-time world champion, and a member of the National Honor Society and student council. We will be cheering for Kaitlin and the USA Women’s Rowing Team as they work to bring home yet another medal!
Daisy Mazzio-Manson, MSM, ’21: Women’s Rowing
Transferring to McCombs from Yale University to pursue her Master of Science in Marketing, Daisy Mazzio-Manson made a splash as part of the championship team at UT. While at Yale, Daisy was named a 2019 Collegiate Rowing Association First-team All-American and earned 2018 CRCA Second-Team All-American honors. She was a two-time All-Ivy First Team selection and received the Chris Ernst Award for Excellent Performance as a first-year at Yale. She recently won a silver World Championship medal and has been participating in Women’s Rowing for eight years. This will be her first Olympics.
We hope you’ll join us in cheering on our McCombs Longhorns as they show off all the hard work and dedication that has gotten them this far. Medal or not, we are proud of each of these athletes and raise our horns in their honor. For more information or to follow along with their Olympic journey, you can catch the Olympics in primetime on NBC now through August 11, 2024. You can also visit the Team USA website for more detailed information, recaps, and medal counts.
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