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Liberal Arts Athletes Headed to the Olympics
Four students and alumni gear up to compete in Beijing
AUSTIN, Texas -July 23, 2008- Four College of Liberal Arts students and alumni will stamp their passports to Beijing, China to compete in the 2008 Olympic Games Aug. 8-24.
Men's Track
Leo Manzano (Spanish senior) qualified for the Olympics after finishing second in the 1500-meter race at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Manzano, who won the NCAA championships in June, is the first Longhorn 1500-meter runner to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.
Softball
Pitcher Cat Osterman (B.A. '07, Psychology), who won a gold medal in Athens in 2004, will compete on the U.S. softball team. In 2006, she was named the USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Year for the third consecutive year. Osterman lives in Chicago, where she is the assistant softball coach at DePaul University. She will blog about her experiences this summer on her personal Web site "Bound for Beijing."
Men's Swimming
Aaron Piersol (B.A. '07, Government) secured a spot on the U.S. Olympic Swim Team in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke. He set a World Record of 52.98 seconds in the 100-meter backstroke at the Olympic trials. This is Peirsol's third appearance at the Olympics after competing at the 2000 Sydney Games and the 2004 Athens Games.
Ian Crocker (Sociology senior) earned his third trip to the Olympics after finishing second in the 100-meter butterfly finals at the Olympic Trials. He will represent the United States in the 100-meter butterfly. Crocker earned two gold medals, one silver and one bronze medal during the Sydney and Athens Games.
Eighteen current and former student-athletes earned spots on Team USA 2008, including seven on the Men's Swimming team, which is the most Olympic qualifiers from the university. Twenty-two Longhorn athletes and coaches will represent the United States at the 2008 Olympic Games. Read the story "Going for Gold."
Contact:
Jessica Sinn
Public Affairs Specialist, College of Liberal Arts
512-471-2404
jt1221@mail.utexas.edu