Two former USF student-athletes and one current graduate student will be participating in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, which run from Aug. 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
 
John Cox '05, who played at USF from 1999-2005 and ranks as the school's ninth all-time leading scorer, will represent Venezuela in the men's basketball competition, Maor Tiyouri '14 will compete in the women's marathon for her native Israel while Mariya Koroleva, a current graduate student in USF's Sport Management program, will represent the United States in the duet portion of the synchronized swimming competition.
 
Additionally, Katie Morgan, USF's Director of Creative Video, will be working her eighth Olympic Games as an associate producer for NBC.
 
Cox helped Venezuela to an Olympic berth when the country captured its first-ever FIBA Americas championship in September. Cox scored 12 points in the championship game against a favored Argentina team, sending Venezuela to its first Olympic Games since 1992. Cox will become the third USF basketball player to participate in the Olympics, joining legends Bill Russell and K.C. Jones, who led the United States to a gold medal in the 1956 Melbourne games. Venezuela will play its first game in pool play on Aug. 6 against Serbia.
 
Running in her first-ever marathon, the native of Kfar Saba, Israel, qualified for her first Olympic Games by clocking a time of 2:42:22 at the Ottawa Marathon in May. Tiyouri was a member of four WCC championship cross country teams and made two trips to the NCAA Championships with the Dons. She was also a three-time NCAA qualifier on the track, including two semifinal appearances in the 10,000 meters. The Olympic women's marathon will be staged on Aug. 14.
 
"I am very proud and honored to be wearing the Israeli uniform, and representing my country and its people at such an important and prestigious event as the Olympic Games," said Tiyouri. "Attending the University of San Francisco and being part of its track & field and cross country teams, was probably the best decision I have ever made in my life.
 
"It was such a formative experience for me. I learned to work with my teammates as one united team to achieve great success and make history. I learned to race at a high level of competition and I met so many wonderful people that had a positive impact on my life. I learned so many things and acquired so many tools that will serve me for the rest of my life."
 
Tiyouri is the second Olympian to come out of USF's track & field program under the direction of Helen Lehman-Winters. Haley Nemra '12 represented the Marshall Islands in the 2008 and '12 Olympic Games in the women's 800 meters.
 
"I am thrilled with what Maor has accomplished in the short period of time since her graduation from USF," said Lehman-Winters. "She has remained focused on her goal of making the Olympic Games and for it to become a reality is truly incredible.
 
"She has had her struggles and in many ways these have prepared her well for the Games, but the reality is this will be her first appearance in a competition at this magnitude, and there certainly is a learning curve. There are a lot of firsts that she will encounter in Rio, and it will be an experience of a lifetime."
 
Koroleva, who attended Stanford as an undergraduate, will partner with Anita Alvarez in the duet synchronized swimming competition. This will be Koroleva's second Olympic Games following an 11th place finish with then-partner Mary Killman four years ago in London.
 
Cox, Tiyouri and Koroleva continue USF's Olympic tradition, which dates back to the 1936 when Jimmy Needles coached the United States basketball team to a gold medal in Berlin. Soccer legend Gus Donoghue was also part of the United States' 1936 Olympic contingent.
 
Including this year's competition, USF student-athletes have participated in 15 Olympiads, winning five medals (three gold, one silver, one bronze). Additionally, current USF women's basketball head coach Jennifer Azzi helped the United States' team to a gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta games. Sue Rojcewicz, who served as women's basketball coach from 1982-87, was a member of the silver medal-winning team in the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal. Former volleyball coach Laurie Corbelli, who earned WCC Coach of the Year honors in 1987, was a member of the 1980 and '84 U.S. women's volleyball teams. Pete Newell, who guided USF to the 1949 National Invitational Tournament championship, served as the head coach of the 1960 gold medal-winning U.S. team in Rome.
 
USF's Olympians

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Student-Athletes
Men's Soccer (11)
Peter Arnautoff, USA (1980)
Andy Atuegbo, Nigeria (1976)
Troy Dayak, USA (1992)
Gus Donoghue, USA (1936)
John Doyle, USA (1988)
Hans Friessen, Mexico (1968)
Mike Ivanow, USA (1972)
Lothar Osiander (Head Coach), USA (1988 and '92)
Hugo Perez, USA (1984)
Alex Roboostoff, USA (1972)
Fernando Rosales, El Salvador (1968)
 
Men's Basketball (4)
John Cox, Venezuela (2016)
K.C. Jones, USA (1956)
Jimmy Needles (Head Coach), USA (1936)
Bill Russell, USA (1956)
 
Baseball (1)
Dave Sheldon, Italy (2000)
 
Figure Skating (1)
Yvonne Gomez, Spain (1988)
 
Synchronized Swimming (1)
Mariya Koroleva (Graduate student), USA (2016)
 
Track & Field (1)
Ollie Matson, USA (1956)
Haley Nemra, Marshall Islands (2012)
 
Women's Marathon (1)
Maor Tiyouri, Israel (2016)
 
USF Associates
 
Men's Basketball (1)
Pete Newell, (Head Coach), USA (1960)
 
Women's Basketball (2)
Jennifer Azzi, USA (1996)
Sue Rojcewicz, USA (1976)
 
Women's Volleyball (1)
Laurie Corbelli, USA (1980, '84)