Nine Cougars Head to 2024 Paris Olympic Games

BYU Athletics will send nine current or former athletes to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Nine Cougars Head to 2024 Paris Olympic GamesNine Cougars Head to 2024 Paris Olympic Games

PARIS, France - BYU Athletics will send nine current or former athletes to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. 

"Each of our nine 2024 Paris Olympians have represented BYU in a remarkable way and now have earned the honor of representing their countries in the pinnacle of worldwide sporting events," said BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe. "These nine are not only exceptional athletes in their respective sports, but have consistently shown tremendous leadership, scholarship and friendship to all during their illustrious athletic careers.”

The eight athletes on the Team USA Olympic roster is an all-time record for BYU and the nine total athletes is the most since the 14 that competed at the 2004 Athens Games. BYU ranks 12th in the NCAA with current or former athletes competing at the 2024 Paris Games for Team USA.

BYU track and field, along with Stanford, USC and Florida, leads the NCAA with six Team USA track and field entries. 

Name Country Event Team at BYU Years at BYU
Jimmer Fredette United States 3x3 Basketball Men's Basketball 2007-11
Conner Mantz United States Marathon Men's Track and Field/Cross Country 2017-21
Clayton Young United States Marathon Men's Track and Field/Cross Country 2015-19
Rory Linkletter Canada Marathon Men's Track and Field/Cross Country 2015-19
Courtney Wayment United States 3000-meter Steeplechase Women's Track and Field/Cross Country 2016-22
Kenneth Rooks United States 3000-meter Steeplechase Men's Track and Field/Cross Country 2019, 22-23
James Corrigan United States 3000-meter Steeplehase Men's Track and Field/Cross Country 2022-Present
Whittni Orton Morgan United States 5000-meter Women's Track and Field/Cross Country 2017-21
Stephanie Rovetti United States Rugby Sevens Women's Basketball 2010-2014

Jimmer Fredette will compete for Team USA in men's 3x3 basketball alongside Kareem Maddox, Canyon Barry and Dylan Travis. The 2011 Naismith Player of the Year is considered one of the top 3x3 players in the world having helped the Americans to the 2022 AmeriCup adn 2023 Pan American Games titles along with finishing second at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. 

Conner Mantz will represent the United States in the men's marathon. Mantz ran under the Olympic Standard of 2:08:10 at the Chicago Marathon in 2023 crossing the finish in 2:07.47. He then placed first overall at the USATF Marathon Olympic Team Trials in Orlando this February to secure him a spot on the team. While at BYU, Mantz earned back-to-back individual NCAA Cross Country Championship titles in 2020-21 and 21. 

Clayton Young will compete for Team USA alongside Mantz in the men's marathon. Young also ran under the Olympic Standard at the Chicago Marathon where he finished in 2:08:00. At the USATF Marathon Olympic Team Trials, Young finished in stride with Mantz and finished second overall to earn a ticket to Paris. As a BYU athlete, Young placed first in the 10,000-meters at the 2019 NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships. 

Rory Linkletter will run for Team Canada in the men's marathon alongside Mantz and Young. Linkletter ran underneath the Olympic Standard at the Seville Marathon in Spain earlier this year finishing in 2:08:01 which put him in place to be selected for the Team Canada Olympic Roster. At BYU, Linkletter placed second at the 10,000-meters at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships. 

Courtney Wayment will represent the United States in the women's 3000-meter steeplechase. Wayment took second overall at the USATF Olympic Team Trials in June at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Wayment crossed the finish in 9:06.50, nearly three seconds faster than Emma Coburn's previous meet record and the No. 5 time in the world this year. Wayment was a four-time national champion during her Cougar distance career. Those national titles included the 3000m steeplechase and indoor 5000m in 2022, along with the indoor 3000m and distance medley relay in 2021. She holds the program's school records in both 3000m steeplechase and indoor 5000m. 

Kenneth Rooks will compete for Team USA in the men's 3000-meter steeplechase. Rooks took first overall at the USATF Olympic Team Trials in June crossing the finish in 8:21.92. At BYU, Rooks won the event at the 2023 NCAA Championships then weeks later had a historic win at the USATF Championships after falling over a barrier and coming back to take the title. He then took tenth at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest in August of 2023 before returning for a final cross country season at BYU. Rooks then chose to forgo his remaining eligibility and sign a professional contract with Nike. 

James Corrigan will represent the United States alongside Rooks in the men's 3000m steeplechase. Corrigan is the only current member of a BYU athletic team headed to Paris. The last time a current track and field athlete made Team USA for the Games was 48 years ago when Henry Marsh competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games where he also competed in the steeplechase. Corrigan took third overall at the USATF Olympic Team Trials in June, but did not get an auto-qualifying spot on Team USA having not run under the Olympic Standard of 8:15.00 or having a high enough World Ranking. In an eleventh-hour bid as the qualifying window was closing, Corrgian ran a the Penn Relays Summer Showcase where he was paced and ran 8:13.87 and secured an automatic spot on Team USA. 

Rank School Track & Field Olympians
1. BYU 6
  Florida 6
  Stanford 6
  USC 6
5. Arkansas 5
  Kentucky 5
  Texas A&M 5
8. LSU 4
  Oregon 4
10. Ole Miss 3
  Penn 3

Whittni Orton Morgan ran a season-best 15:05.53 to finish fifth in the 5000m at the USATF Olympic Trials on June 24. Morgan takes the final Team USA Olympic 5000m spot after Elle St. Pierre and Parker Valby opted to scratch from the race in favor of the 1500 and 10,000m, respectively. The two scratches opened up a spot on Team USA for Morgan. The distance runner from Panguitch, UT runner battled back in her recovery from her surgery earlier this year to make the team. In her time at BYU, Orton Morgan won the 2021 NCAA Cross Country individual title. 

Stephanie Rovetti will compete for Team USA in women's rugby sevens. Rovetti played on the BYU women's basketball team from 2010-2014 and was named to the WCC Commissioner's Bronze Honor Roll in 2014. Rovetti will be BYU's first all-time former athlete to compete in women's rugby sevens as well as first all-time former BYU women's basketball player to reach the Olympic Games.

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games will take place from July 26-August 11 with coverage on the NBC family of networks.