Of the hundreds of athletes representing the United States in the July 26-Aug. 11 Paris Olympics, 15 have ties to the state of Tennessee, either having lived here or played collegiately for one of the state’s universities. The list more than doubles with the addition of current or former University of Tennessee athletes representing their native countries.
Beyond Alex and Gretchen Walsh – who swam for Harpeth Hall and Nashville Aquatic Club before helping the University of Virginia to four consecutive national championships – the credentials of the other Tennessee Olympians are just as impressive in their respective sports.
These gifted athletes span the width and breadth of the state, from Knoxville to Nashville to Memphis, from Chattanooga to Clarksville. Here’s a closer look at the other 11 athletes and one coach who will represent not only Team USA but also the Volunteer State in Paris:
Walker Zimmerman, Nashville SC
The veteran defender for Nashville’s Major League Soccer team, who was named to the USA men’s national team July 8, is no stranger to the international stage. This will mark his 43rd appearance for USMNT, most recently in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where he started three games en route to a Round of 16 appearance.
He was on the 2021 USMNT CONCACAF Gold Cup championship squad and on the 2019 Gold Cup runner-up team. On the international stage, Zimmerman has scored three goals and two assists.
Speaking at the U.S. Olympic Team training camp last month, Zimmer calls it “an honor representing your country, so I think it’ll be fun and I’m representing Nashville as well.”
Veronica Fraley, Vanderbilt
A 24-year-old graduate student, Fraley won the NCAA outdoor women’s discus championship in June with a fourth-round throw of 63.66 meters. She finished third in the U.S. Track and Field Trials last month with a throw of 62.54 meters.
Fraley credits Vanderbilt coaches – particularly throws coach John Newell – for her development into a world-class athlete.
“Just capping off my super senior season in the best way possible. I’m just super happy, on Cloud Nine … still shaking a little bit,” Fraley says. “It feels amazing.
“My college career, over the past six years, has been a long journey. … They taught me a lot about throws and (Newell) was able to tweak some little things and just be able to get me to field throw and relax and be comfortable in my throw. So all of them have been super beneficial and integral to my growth and development as a thrower. … And I’m just happy that I (made the Olympic team), so proud that my support system and I have been able to push through on this day and to show up on the day and get the job done.”
Vanderbilt also is represented by track cyclist Lily Williams, 30, a cross-country runner when she was with the Commodores 2012-2016. She finished her college career at Northwestern and then turned her attention to professional cycling, where she won a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games (which were delayed a year by COVID).
Erika Connolly, Tennessee
A 2020 Olympian, the former Lady Vols swimmer will be seeking her third Olympic medal after winning two at the Tokyo Games. This time around, she will swim only one event as a member of the 400 free relay team. She was the 2020 SEC Female Athlete of the Year in 2020 and earned 21 All-America titles during her college career.
“I think for me this time is very special making it because it’s been such an uphill battle. This past year has been very difficult,” Connolly, 25, said after earning her spot on the team. “Dealing with the (back) injury and coming back and finding my love of racing again and being able to make the team is special. My faith has just given me such peace … It’s been a blessing because I’ve spent a year frustrated with my races.”
Probably the most noteworthy Tennessean at the Paris Games isn’t an athlete, but an assistant coach on the U.S. women’s basketball team. Kara Lawson, 43, who played at UT from 2000-2003 and is currently head coach at Duke, will serve as a Team USA assistant coach. She struck Olympic gold at the 2008 Beijing Games while playing in the WNBA and in 2020 was head coach of the gold medal-winning 3x3 U.S. team.
Speaking of 3x3 women’s basketball, Cierra Burdick, 30, is on this year’s team. She starred at UT from 2011-2015 and had a stellar WNBA career.
Representing UT in women’s volleyball is Kelsey Robinson-Cook, 32, who played three seasons in Knoxville before transferring to Nebraska. An outside hitter/libero, she made the U.S. women’s collegiate national team during her UT days in 2011. Robinson is seeking her third Olympic medal, having won gold in Tokyo and bronze at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.
Sprinter Chris Bailey, 24, ran at UT from 2019-2022 before transferring to Arkansas. He was third in the men’s 400m at the trials with a time of 44.42 for his first U.S. Olympic berth.
Olivia Reeves, Chattanooga
The Hixon resident, 21, graduated from Notre Dame High School. She’s a senior sociology major at Tennessee-Chattanooga and graduates in December. The weightlifter is the school’s first currently enrolled student to make an Olympic team, the school confirms.
Competing in the 71 kg weight class, BarBend calls her “the second-strongest woman in the world” while USA Weightlifting says she’s “one of this generation’s greatest weightlifters.”
“It’s weird because when I think of an Olympian or know people who are Olympians, I’m like, ‘Wow, they seem really cool,’ and I’m like, ‘Wait a minute, I’m also an Olympian now.’ I’m recognizing that it is becoming a part of my identity,” Reeves says. “It’s exciting and I’m coming to the realization that it’s actually happening. It’s real.”
Harrison Williams, Memphis
A state champion for both Memphis University School and the Memphis Mustangs AAU team, the 28-year-old Williams went on to star collegiately at Stanford. He finished third in the decathlon with 8,384 points at the team trials to earn his first U.S. Olympic roster spot.
“I got third place, which was all I needed to do. That was the only goal,” Williams says. “I learned (at the U.S. trials) I need to practice high jump a little more (to medal in Paris). It’s not over until the fifth night, so anything can happen.”
Sunny Choi, Cookeville
Choi, 35, is one of four athletes representing the U.S. in the newest Olympic sport of breaking (sometimes called break dancing), which combines dancing and acrobatics. Choi was born in Cookeville but grew up in Queens, New York. After winning a gold medal at the 2023 Pan American Games, Choi was the first “B-girl” named to the U.S. breaking team.
Brody Malone, Johnson City
Born in Johnson City, Malone, 24, was enrolled in gymnastics at age three by his parents. In middle school and high school, he also competed in rodeo as did his father. At Stanford, Malone was a 10-time NCAA champion. Competing in artistic gymnastics, Malone’s a three-time U.S. national champion and in his second Olympiad.
Wes Kitts, Knoxville and APSU
Another U.S. weightlifter from Tennessee, Kitts, 34, was an All-State running back at Knoxville Halls High School with more than 1,600 yards his senior season. He played collegiately at Austin Peay from 2008-2012 at running back and on special teams. Competing in the 109 kg weight class, Kitts was on the 2020 U.S., team, finishing eighth overall. He won his third Pan American Championships gold medal last year, following his 2018 and 2019 titles.