OLYMPICS CENTRAL: Vols in Tokyo
The University of Tennessee has always been well represented at the summer games, and the Tokyo Olympics will be no different as 18 past, present and future Vols and Lady Vols will compete on behalf of 12 countries in seven sports.
Tennessee's Olympic roster is highlighted by athletes who won national and conference player of the year awards, earned All-America recognition, broke national and world records in events, raised championship banners at UT and left lasting legacies on Rocky Top. Some were Olympians before they arrived on Rocky Top, while others took their talents to the next level with the help of world-class coaching and training as Vols and Lady Vols.
With representatives in 15 consecutive Olympiads, UT's 117 all-time Olympians have won 63 medals, including 39 gold, while competing both as athletes as well as coaches. This year, 16 individuals will compete as athletes in the Olympics, while two former Lady Vols will make the transition to coaching after having won medals as athletes during their respective careers.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics will officially begin on Wednesday, July 21, as soccer and softball begin competition. The Opening Ceremony will take place on Friday, July 23, at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on NBC, the official television network of the Olympics.
Additionally, UT volleyball graduate assistant Andrew Strick will be serving as a statistician and scout for the U.S. Men's Volleyball Team.
MONICA ABBOTT (2004-07) | USA | SOFTBALL
One of the most decorated players in the history of college softball, Monica Abbott threw an astonishing 23 no-hitters and six perfect games during her Tennessee career and led the Lady Vols to three consecutive Women's College World Series appearances (2005-07), with a runner-up finish in 2007. Through four stellar seasons at Tennessee, she posted an incredible 189-34 record, a 0.79 ERA, 112 shutouts, 2,440 strikeouts and 125 games with 10 or more strikeouts. She also became the first pitcher in NCAA Division I history to record 500 strikeouts in four different seasons. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics mark Abbott’s second time competing in the games after winning a silver medal with the U.S. National Team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
ERIKA BROWN (2017-20) | USA | SWIMMING
A two-time SEC Female Swimmer of the Year, Erika Brown sealed her legacy at Tennessee when she led the Lady Vols to their first-ever SEC Championship title in 2020. She will represent Team USA during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, competing in the 100-meter freestyle and the 4×100 freestyle relay. She owns the world record in the 4x100 medley relay and holds the American record in the 100 butterfly. During her decorated career in Knoxville, she garnered 21 All-America honors and won 18 SEC gold medals. During her senior campaign, she broke the American Record in the 100 butterfly with her time of 49.3 and became just the second woman to ever swim sub 46 seconds in the 100 free, joining Olympian Simone Manuel. Brown also marked the first woman in SEC history to win the same three events (50 free, 100 free and 100 fly) three consecutive seasons.
TESS CIEPLUCHA (2017-20) | CANADA | SWIMMING
Tess Cieplucha will make her Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, competing for Team Canada in the 400-meter individual medley. She won the gold medal in the event during the 2020 SEC Championships, helping lead the Lady Vols to their first SEC title in program history. She earned eight All-America honors and won two SEC gold medals during her time on Rocky Top.
LYUBOMIR EPITROPOV (2021-PRES.) | BULGARIA | SWIMMING
Lyubomir Epitropov will make his Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, competing for Bulgaria in the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke. Epitropov won gold in the 200 breaststroke at the 2021 SEC Championships, securing his first SEC title. The Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria, native holds the Tennessee school-record in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 1:52.69.
MICHAEL HOULIE (2019-PRES.) | SOUTH AFRICA | SWIMMING
Making his Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Michael Houlie will compete for Team South Africa in the 100-meter breaststroke. The rising senior won the silver medal in the event at the 2021 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships and has won four total medals at SEC Championships during his first three seasons on Rocky Top. Houlie is the school-record holder in the 100 breaststroke at 51.26.
KARA LAWSON (2000-03) | USA | 3x3 BASKETBALL (HEAD COACH)
A four-time All-SEC performer, three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member and two-time SEC Community Service Award winner from 1999-2003, Kara Lawson helped Tennessee to three NCAA Final Fours, four SEC regular-season crowns and a league tourney title. She is the Lady Vols’ No. 6 all-time scorer and ranks No. 2 in career three-point field goal percentage, No. 3 in career three-pointers made and career free-throw percentage, and No. 6 in career assists. After earning WBCA All-America honors and receiving UT’s prestigious Torchbearer Award in 2003, Lawson became the No. 5 overall WNBA Draft pick of the Detroit Shock and spent 13 seasons in the league playing with three different franchises. She was a WNBA champion in 2005 and a WNBA All-Star in 2007 with Sacramento, and she went on to earn the 2009 and 2012 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Awards and the 2013 Dawn Staley Community Assist Award.
JOELLA LLOYD (2019-PRES.) | ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA | TRACK & FIELD
Joella Lloyd will represent the country of Antigua and Barbuda at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, running in the 100-meter dash. She will be the third Lady Vol track & field Olympian to run the event at the Games, joining former standouts Alice Annum (1972) and Tianna Bartoletta (2012, 2016). Lloyd made her mark in the Tennessee record book during the 2021 campaign, tying the all-time program standard in the indoor 60-meter dash at 7.15 seconds and breaking the Lady Vol freshman record in the 100-meter dash at 11.19. Both performances went down as national records for Antigua and Barbuda.
CAREY McLEOD (2020-PRES.) | JAMAICA | TRACK & FIELD
Competing for Jamaica, Carey McLeod is one of just two athletes in the world to qualify for both the long jump and the triple jump in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The three-time SEC champion and six-time NCAA All-American will be the first male athlete from Tennessee track & field to represent Jamaica at the summer games. The 2020 Indoor SEC Men's Field Athlete of the Year owns the school record in both categories with marks of 8.26 meters in the long jump and 17.17 meters in the triple jump.
MONA McSHARRY (2021-PRES.) | IRELAND | SWIMMING
After bringing home 2021 SEC Female Freshman Swimmer of the Year honors, Mona McSharry’s stellar campaign continued when she earned a spot on Ireland’s roster for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She qualified for the summer games after delivering a 1:06.29 time in the 100-meter breaststroke. The mark set the Irish national record in the event and was the seventh fastest time in the world this year. She will also compete in the 200 breast. The Sligo, Ireland, native holds the UT record in both events. She capped her freshman season by medaling at both the SEC and NCAA Championships and earned six All-America honors.
KELSEY ROBINSON (2010-12) | USA | VOLLEYBALL
Kelsey Robinson will compete with Team USA volleyball at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, marking her second Olympic games appearance. In 2016, Robinson and Team USA brought home a bronze medal from the Rio Olympics. As a Lady Vol, Robinson was a two-time AVCA All-American and was named the SEC Player of the Year in 2011. She also helped lead the Lady Vols to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2010-2012.
TENNYS SANDGREN (2010-11) | USA | TENNIS
A short but successful career on Rocky Top had Tennys Sandgren climbing the ladder to stardom in the tennis world. He came to Tennessee as the No. 1 recruit in the country, went on to earn ITA All-America honors in 2011, turned pro after his sophomore campaign and will now add the distinction of Olympian to his accolades. The Gallatin, Tennessee, native will represent Team USA in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, competing in both singles and doubles. During his time with the Vols, Sandgren compiled a record 60-12 in singles and a 38-11 slate in doubles. He posted a 30-3 singles record as sophomore en route to a semifinals appearance during the NCAA Championships.
STAMATIA SCARVELIS (2017-19) | GREECE | TRACK & FIELD
One of the best throwers in program history, Stamatia Scarvelis earned a spot on the Greece track & field roster for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the hammer. The 2019 SEC Outdoor Commissioner's Trophy winner owns the program record in the hammer with a distance of 71.33 meters and won the SEC title in the event in 2018 and 2019. She finished inside the top 10 in the event at NCAAs both seasons to earn USTFCCCA Outdoor First Team All-America status.
DARRYL SULLIVAN (2017-21) | USA | TRACK & FIELD
Darryl Sullivan punched his ticket to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the men’s high jump for Team USA. The four-time All-American matched his lifetime-best mark with a clearance of 2.33 meters (7-7.75) to place second at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. The all-time school record holder in the event, Sullivan is the first Tennessee track & field athlete to qualify for the Olympics in the high jump.
CHERELLE THOMPSON (2013-15) | TRINIDAD & TOBAGO | SWIMMING
Cherelle Thompson is making her first appearance in the summer games by competing with Trinidad & Tobago in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The former All-American swimming will compete in the 50-meter freestyle. She helped the Lady Vols to top-15 finishes at the NCAA Championships during her three seasons on Rocky Top, including third-place finish in 2013.
KIRA TOUSSAINT (2016-17) | NETHERLANDS | SWIMMING
After competing for the Netherlands at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Kira Toussaint returns to the summer games for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The former Lady Vol will compete in the 100-meter backstroke, an event she holds the program record for at UT. The world record holder in the 50-meter backstroke (25.60), Toussaint earned eight All-America accolades and won three SEC gold medals during her two seasons in Knoxville. At Rio, she became the first women's swimmer in program history to compete in the Olympics while currently on the Tennessee team, finishing 18th in the 100 back.
ELLEN WALSHE (INCOMING FRESHMAN) | IRELAND | SWIMMING
Tennessee’s other incoming freshman Olympian is Ireland’s Ellen Walshe. She will compete in the 200-meter individual medley after breaking the Irish national record with a time of 2:12.02 in the event to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
HANNAH WILKINSON (2012-16) | NEW ZEALAND | SOCCER
A native of Whangarei, New Zealand, former Tennessee forward Hannah Wilkinson has been a mainstay in the Football Ferns senior national team lineup since 2010. She is a three-time Olympian (2012 London, 2016 Rio, 2020 Tokyo) and has represented her country in the FIFA Women’s World Cup three times (2011, 15, 19). In her five years on Rocky Top, Wilkinson amassed 33 goals and 19 assists — ranking second and eighth in those categories on Tennessee’s all-time career list, respectively. She was named a third team All-American by the NSCAA as a freshman in 2012, in addition to earning First Team All-SEC honors in 2012 and 2016.
RHIAN WILKINSON (2000-03) | GREAT BRITAIN | SOCCER
A native of Baie d'Urfe. Quebec, Canada, former Lady Vol Rhian Wilkinson is a four-time Olympian. She competed in three games with the Canadian National Team (2008 Beijing, 2012 London and 2016 Rio) and is an assistant coach for Great Britain in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Wilkinson won a bronze medal in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. She also competed in the FIFA Women's World Cup on four occasions (2003, 07, 11, 15). During her time on Rocky Top, she was a three-time All-SEC performer and currently holds the program record in assists (32) and ranks second in points (88).
