BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Five former Patriot League student-athletes will be compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics after the Opening Ceremonies kick off the festivities on Friday night.
Boston University’s Ally Hammel and Lafayette’s Amanda (Magadan) Golini will represent the Team USA Field Hockey when play begins on Saturday, July 27, against Argentina.
Loyola Maryland’s Santi Aldama takes the court for the Spanish Men’s Basketball Team when they begin group play against Australia on Saturday, July 27.
Navy’s Regine Tugade-Watson will represent Guam on the women’s track and field team for the third time when she competes in the 100 meters. Boston University’s Julimar Avila will make her second Olympics appearance, representing Honduras’s women’s swimming and diving squad. Avila is scheduled to compete in the women’s 200-meter butterfly.
Hammel Named to U.S. Olympic Field Hockey
Former Boston University All-American Ally Hammel has secured a spot on the 2024 U.S. Olympic Women's Field Hockey Team, as announced by head coach David Passmore. Hammel will become the first Terrier to play for Team USA in Olympic field hockey.
Hammel is one of 16 players on the roster that will compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this summer. The only two-time first-team All-American in BU history, Hammel will be the second BU field hockey player to represent her country at the Olympics, joining Ella Gunson, who competed for New Zealand in 2012 and 2021.
Hammel helped Team USA qualify for the Olympics with a runner-up finish at the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier. The team officially secured its ticket to Paris with a win over Japan in the semifinals.
Boston University Release
Magadan-Golini '17 to Captain 2024 U.S. Olympic Field Hockey Team
Amanda Magadan (Golini) '17 was named to the 16-athlete USA Field Hockey roster that will compete at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games by the U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach David Passmore.
Golini played four years in the midfield for the Maroon and White from 2013-17, earning All-Patriot League honors each of her final three seasons, including first-team laurels as a junior and senior.
A native of Randolph, N.J., she led the Leopards in scoring in 2015 and 2016 with 10 and eight goals, respectively, leading to First-Team All-Region accolades in both seasons and a Third-Team All-America honor in 2016.
Lafayette Release
Olympics Bound! Aldama To Be First Loyola Olympian
Former Loyola University Maryland men's basketball standout Santi Aldama will be the first former Greyhounds student-athlete to compete in the Olympic Games when he dons Spain's red and gold in Paris.
Aldama, who finished his third year with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies in 2023-24, earned MVP honors at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Valencia after averaging 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.5 assists in the four games.
Aldama starred at Loyola for two seasons (2019-21), averaging 19.0 points and 9.2 rebounds in 27 games for the Greyhounds. He was also an All-Patriot League First Team honoree that season before declaring for the NBA Draft.
Loyola Maryland Release
Former Navy Track and Field Athlete Will Compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics
Former Navy track & field standout Regine Tugade-Watson ('20) will represent Guam at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She will compete in the 100 meters.
Making her third straight appearance on the Olympic stage, Tugade-Watson qualified by delivering an outstanding performance at the 2024 Micronesian Games in Majuro, where she won a gold medal, set a Micronesian Games record and broke Guam's national record in the women's 100 meters with a time of 11.76.
During her career, she was a two-time All-Patriot League honoree, claiming second-team distinction in the 200 meters in 2019 and as part of the 4x100m relay team in 2018. Tugade-Watson was named Patriot League Track Athlete of the Week three times during her career.
Navy Release
Julimar Avila
Former Boston University swimmer and 2020 Tokyo Olympics participant Julimar Avila has earned a spot on the 2024 Honduras Olympic Women's Swimming and Diving team. She will represent Honduras for the second time after competing in the 200-meter butterfly during the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Avila was a three-time All-Patriot League selection, receiving first-team All-League during her senior season in 2019. She helped the Boston University 400-meter freestyle relay team break the school record in her final race as a Terrier. She earned Second-Team All-Patriot League honors in 2016-18.
Avila at Boston University
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The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.