Issue link: https://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/143652
FOLLOW THE PAC-12 TO LONDON PAC-12 ROAD TO LONDON PAVED WITH GOLD With Conference-affiliated athletes representing 46 countries at the XXX Olympiad in London last summer, the Pac-12's final medal count came to 45 at the conclusion of the Games. If the Pac-12 had been a nation, it would have ranked fifth, just ahead of Germany (44). The Pac-12's 19 gold medals would have ranked fifth among all countries. The Conferene sent an impressive contingent of 239 athletes, coaches and other officials with ties to Pac-12 institutions, far outpacing other major conferences. Team USA included 138 individuals with Pac-12 ties, including 119 athletes who competed in 13 sports. In fact, Pac-12 Olympians make up almost 25 percent of the 529 Team USA athletes that competed in London. In addition, for the firrst time ever, the U.S. sent more women than men to the Olympic Games. Of those 269 women who donned the red, white and blue, 69 were from the Pac-12 (26 percent), a true testament to Title IX and the Conference's strength in women's athletics. Pac-12 competitors won medals for nine different countries, as eight of member institutions schools were represented on the medal podium. USC led all universities across the nation with 25 total medals, California was third with 17 and Stanford had 16. The top-three gold-medal winning institutions across the country are from the Pac-12, with Stanford and USC each claiming 12. Cal had 11 to rank third, and UCLA's six medals tied for fifth. Over the course of the London Olympic Games, Pac-12 affiliated athletes claimed medals in a variety of sports, both indoors (swimming, water polo, volleyball, cycling, and diving) and outdoors (swimming, track & field, soccer, tennis, rowing, and beach volleyball). In addition, contributions to the official medal count came almost equally in men's and women's sports. Pac-12 women contributed to 23 medals, while the men helped to win 22. Individually, 89 total medals are going home with Pac-12 athletes, including 51 golds. While in London, Pac-12 athletes also set five world records, two Olympic records, an American record and a collegiate track record. A couple of 'firsts' were accomplished by Pac-12 athletes, including Haley Anderson (USC) becoming the first American woman to medal in the open water swimming event, and Tunisia's Ous Mellouli (USC) becoming the first swimmer to medal in an indoor and the open water events in the same Games. Additionally, the "World's Greatest Athlete" was bestowed upon former Oregon Duck and American Ashton Eaton, after winning the decathlon. An "AllAmerican final" in women's beach volleyball featured three Pac-12 athletes (of the four competing), and, with seven of the eight women's water polo teams featuring at least one athlete with Pac-12 ties, the Conference was virtually guaranteed three medals, and, indeed, a Pac-12 athlete stood on every level of the medal podium at the end of the tournament. The track & field had the most Pac-12 athletes, with 59 representing 20 countries. Swimming was second with 52 athletes from 28 countries. The water polo competition featured the third-most Pac-12 athletes with 31, including 12 women named to the 13-player USA roster. In rowing, 29 athletes competed for several countries that had Pac-12 allegiances. Other notable areas of impressive Pac-12 participation included women's soccer, women's water polo and beach volleyball. Ten women on the 18-player USA women's soccer roster were from the Pac-12, 12 of the 13 USA women's water polo players were from the Pac-12, and five of the eight named to the USA beach volleyball roster were from the Pac-12. In 16 days of competition, Pac-12 athletes claimed medals on all but one day of the London Games. 2012 PAC-12 LONDON OL YMPICS MEDAL COUNT TOTAL: 45 (19 gold, 14 silver, 12 bronze) GOLD (19) Nathan Adrian (CAL), USA .............................................................. Swim - 100m Freestyle (M) Nathan Adrian (CAL), USA* ..................................................Swim - 4x100m Medley Relay (M) Tumua Anae (USC), USA** ................................................................................Water Polo (W) Alyssa Anderson (ARIZ), USA* ..................................................Swim - 4x200m Free Relay (W) Keshia Baker (ORE), USA*............................................................... Track - 4x400m Relay (W) Nicole Barnhart (STAN), USA++...............................................................................Soccer (W) Rachel Bootsma (CAL), USA* ...............................................Swim - 4x100m Medley Relay (W) Bob Bryan (STAN), USA+ ........................................................................ Tennis - Doubles (M) Mike Bryan (STAN), USA+ ....................................................................... Tennis - Doubles (M) Rachel Buehler (STAN), USA++ ...............................................................................Soccer (W) Erin Cafaro (CAL), USA@ ..................................................................................Row - Eight (W) Lauren Cheney (UCLA), USA++ ...............................................................................Soccer (W) Kami Craig (USC), USA** ..................................................................................Water Polo (W) Annika Dries (STAN), USA** ..............................................................................Water Polo (W) Ashton Eaton (ORE), USA ....................................................................... Track - Decathlon (M) Allyson Felix (USC), USA ....................................................................... Track - 200 Meters (W) Allyson Felix (USC), USA .................................................................. Track - 4x100m Relay (W) Allyson Felix (USC), USA* ................................................................ Track - 4x400m Relay (W) James Harden (ASU), USA!................................................................................ Basketball (M) Jessica Hardy (CAL), USA* ...................................................Swim - 4x100m Medley Relay (W) Andre Iguodala (ARIZ), USA! .............................................................................. Basketball (M) Clement Lefert (USC), France....................................................Swim - 4x100m Free Relay (M) Amy LePeilbet (ASU), USA++ ..................................................................................Soccer (W) Sydney Leroux (UCLA), USA++ ................................................................................Soccer (W) Elle Logan (STAN), USA@ .................................................................................Row - Eight (W) Kevin Love (UCLA), USA! ................................................................................... Basketball (M) Courtney Mathewson (UCLA), USA** .................................................................Water Polo (W) Ous Mellouli (USC), Tunisia ......................................................................Swim - 10k Marathon Alex Morgan (CAL), USA++ ......................................................................................Soccer (W) Kelley O'Hara (STAN), USA++ ..................................................................................Soccer (W) continued on next page. 88 PAC-12 CONFERENCE // 2012-13 YEAR IN REVIEW