The 2024 Paris Olympics have come to a close, folks. With that, like the rest of us, the Penn Staters competing in France will have to return to their normal lives without the blessing of watching obscure sports at odds hours of the day.

Thirty Penn Staters competed in a variety of events for a variety of countries in this edition of the Olympics, with a variety of success. Without further ado, here’s how current and former Penn State student-athletes did in the Olympic Games.

Aaron Brooks – Wrestling

Wrestler Aaron Brooks made his Olympic debut for the United States in Paris, wrestling at 86 kilograms. The reigning Hodge Trophy recipient earned a bronze medal after defeating Uzbekistan’s Javrail Shapiev 5-0. He also defeated Azamat Dauletbekov of Kazakhstan and Hayato Ishiguro of Japan in the initial stages of the competition before falling to Bulgaria’s Mogamad Eldarovitch in the semifinals.

Sophia Gladieux – Field Hockey

Field hockey forward Sophia Gladieux and the United States didn’t do much with their appearance at the Olympics this time around. The U.S. was eliminated in the group stage of the tournament. Gladieux did notch a goal against Spain, though it was her lone goal of the tournament. Gladieux will return to Happy Valley for one last ride with Penn State this fall.

Mohamed Cisset – Soccer

Mohamed Cisset and Mali’s men’s soccer team didn’t find much success at the Olympics either. While Mali’s men’s soccer team did reach its first Olympics in 20 years, it only earned one point in the group stage and was eliminated from contention quickly.

Handal Roban – Track & Field

Penn State men’s track and field runner Handal Roban didn’t advance to the semifinals of the 800 meters in Paris, though he came pretty darn close. Roban, representing St. Vincent and the Grenadines, posted a time of 1:46 flat in the first head of the race, just 0.19 seconds away from an automatic bid to the semifinals. While he improved on that time the next morning, Roban’s Olympic journey still ended early.

Alyssa Naeher & Sam Coffey – Soccer

WHAT THE HELL IS A KILOMETER???

Former Penn State women’s soccer stars Alyssa Naeher and Sam Coffey took home gold with the United States women’s national team. After a disappointing showing in the 2023 Women’s World Cup, the group rebounded by defeating the likes of Germany, Brazil, and others. Naeher even showcased why she’s one of the world’s best goalkeepers with some highlight reel stops in the gold medal match.

ALYSSA NAEHER AND @USWNT WINS GOLD https://t.co/LCaMw5TX2h

— Onward State (@OnwardState) August 10, 2024

Laura Freigang – Soccer

Well, someone has to know what a kilometer is.

Laura Freigang, who represented Germany in women’s soccer, didn’t quite match Naeher and Coffey’s success with the United States. After losing to the U.S., Freigang and the Germans defeated Spain in the bronze medal match. The win was an accomplishment in its own right — La Roja had won the Women’s World Cup just a year prior.

Cheickna Traore – Track & Field

Fresh off an NCAA individual title in the 200 meters, men’s track and field star Cheickna Traore took his talent to represent the Ivory Coast in Paris. Traore finished sixth in his opening round heat but scratched out of the repechage round the next day to finish his Olympic journey.

Roman Bravo-Young – Wrestling

Former Penn State wrestler Roman Bravo-Young competed for Mexico at 57 kilograms in Paris. He lost to Armenia’s Arsen Harutyunyan 13-3 in the opening round of the competition.

Zain Retherford – Wrestling

Another former Penn State wrestling star, Zain Retherford, didn’t find much success in Paris, either. Wrestling at 65 kilograms, Retherford was forced to withdraw from the competition due to a concussion before he was set to compete for a bronze medal.

Haleigh Washington – Volleyball

Hailey Washington and the United States women’s volleyball team had plenty of success in Paris, taking home a silver medal. Washington was a key cog in the United States’ system and helped them to wins over the likes of Poland, France, Serbia, and China. However, the U.S. fell in straight sets to Italy in the gold medal match.

Matt Anderson, Aaron Russell, & Max Holt – Volleyball

Like Washington, Penn State’s male representatives of United States volleyball represented their nation well. The men took home the bronze after falling in the semifinal to Poland but rebounding against Italy.

Sam Zakutney – Gymnastics

Sam Zakutney, representing Canada in men’s gymnastics, placed sixth in the men’s team category.

Stephen Nedoroscik – Gymnastics

If you don’t know about the greatest American since George Washington, then you haven’t heard of Stephen Nedoroscik.

In addition to earning two bronze medals with the United States men’s gymnastics team (in men’s team and pommel horse), Nedoroscik rose to fame as the American “Pommel Horse Guy.” Nedoroscik was brought to Paris specifically to compete in the pommel horse. As it turned out, he’s pretty darn good at it.

Joe Kovacs – Track & Field

Former Penn State men’s track and field star Joe Kovacs continued his dominance at the Paris Olympics, taking home his third medal in three Olympic Games representing the United States. Kovacs claimed silver in the shot put, throwing 22.15 meters to claim his third Olympic silver in his career.

Samantha Catantan – Fencing

Representing the Philippines, Samantha Catantan went 1-1 in Paris. After defeating Mariana Pistoai 15-13 in the opening round, Catantan lost 15-12 to Arriana Errigo to finish No. 32 overall.

Margherita Guzzi Vincenti – Fencing

Fencing for the United States, Margherita Guzzi Vincenti competed in the women’s épée individual and women’s épée team events. Guzzi Vincenti lost her first individual match but placed No. 6 overall in the team category as the United States racked up wins over Egypt and South Korea before falling to Poland.

Myles Chamley-Watson – Fencing

Myles Chamley-Watson competed for the United States in men’s foil team fencing. The United States nearly took home a medal in the event as it advanced to the bronze medal round with a win over Egypt, though losses against Italy and France ended that dream.

Shaul Gordon – Fencing

Shaul Gordon fenced for Canada in the men’s sabre individual and men’s sabre team categories. He lost his first individual bout, but his Canadian group reached the quarterfinals in the team categories before losing to South Korea.

Alexis Holmes – Track & Field

Alexis Holmes, who only ran track & field for one year at Penn State before leaving for Kentucky, raced in the women’s 400-meter and women’s 400-meter relay for the United States. While she placed sixth in the individual race, Holmes and the United States took gold in the relay.

Eduardo Cisternas – Swimming

A rising junior at Penn State, Eduardo Cisternas competed in the 400-meter freestyle for Chile. He didn’t make it out of his heat, finishing No. 25 overall.

Emma Harvey – Swimming

Similar to Cisterna, Emma Harvey didn’t have much success competing for Bermuda in the 100-meter backstroke. She didn’t make it out of her heat and finished No. 23 overall.

Jack Harvey – Swimming

Jack Harvey, Emma’s brother, also competed for Bermuda. In the men’s 100-meter backstroke, Jack didn’t make it out of his heat and finished No. 39 overall.

Gabe Castaño – Swimming

Gabe Castaño, who competed for Mexico in the 50-meter freestyle, had more success at the Olympics. Castaño made it out of his heat but ultimately didn’t make it out of his semifinal, finishing No. 15 overall.

Shane Ryan – Swimming

Shane Ryan’s Irish 100-meter relay team didn’t perform too well at the Olympics, finishing No. 11 overall and failing to advance from its heat.

Eduardo Moraes – Swimming

Eduardo Moraes competed in the men’s 400-meter freestyle and the men’s 200-meter freestyle relay for Brazil. He failed to advance from his heat on both occasions.

Kayla Canett – Rugby

Kayla Canett and the United States women’s rugby team did well in Paris, winning a bronze medal. The U.S. defeated Australia in the bronze medal match after missing out on the final with a semifinal loss to New Zealand.