Alumni in Paris: Recap of the 2024 Summer Olympic & Paralympic Games
From first-time Olympians to coaches and more — there was no shortage of Cal Poly pride at the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. See below to learn more about a few of the Cal Poly alumni who've made an impact as Olympians and Paralympians, including the first-ever Hispanic Men's Head Manager of USA Track & Field, a long-time statistician for the U.S. Men's National Volleyball Team, a triathlete's Olympics debut and more.
Header Image: Team USA Women's Waterpolo.
Taylor Spivey (Architecture, '14)
Making her Olympic debut, U.S. Olympic Triathlon team member Taylor Spivey (Architecture, '14) competed in two events in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Her first event was the Women's Triathlon in which Spivey placed tenth.
Spivey wasn't done yet — she went on to compete in the Mixed Relay Event where she helped Team USA secure a silver medal after a photo finish with Great Britain.
Congratulations, Taylor!
"Taylor Spivey" by Chris Hunkeler is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Christopher Blevins (Business Administration, '21)
Christopher Blevins began participating in the sport of cycling at the age of five by competing in BMX races. He won eight national championships in the age divisions between elementary and high school.
He first competed in the Men's Cross-Country race at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, coming in 14th place.
Blevins returned for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, earning 13th place in the Men's Cross-Country race.
"Christopher Blevins 2017" by Hagens Berman Axeon Cycling Team is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Manny Bautista (Physical Education, ’82)
Bautista made his Olympic debut on the USA Track & Field team staff at the Beijing Games in 2008. He has since traveled to the Olympic Games in Tokyo, and now to the 2024 Paris Olympics as the first-ever Hispanic Men's Head Manager for USA Track & Field.
A Cal Poly All-American in both track and cross-country, Bautista was part of 4 NCAA Division II National Championship teams and competed in the 1984 Olympic Marathon Trials.
USA Track & Field proved to be a force in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. The team brought home 27 gold, 14 silver and 9 bronze medals for a total of 50 medals!
Nate Ngo (Mathematics, '10)
As a technical coordinator for the U.S. Men’s National Team, Nate Ngo keeps track of the team’s statistics and is an example of a creative career path that a Mathematics degree can get you.
“The things that I'm doing today are exactly the things that I learned to do at Cal Poly," Ngo explained. “I've been fortunate because I've just been in a place where I can take all those things that I've learned and keep evolving and growing in it.”
The US Men's National Team earned its third bronze medal in Olympic history with a 3-0 victory over reigning world champion, Italy, in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Andrew Silva (Political Science, '02; M.S. Kinesiology, '10)
Representing Cal Poly at the 2024 Paris Olympics as part of the women’s water polo staff, meet #CalPolyAlumni and SLO native Andrew Silva.
As the Video Coordinator for USA Water Polo’s three-time defending champion Women’s Olympic Team, Andrew is integral to filming and analyzing Team USA games and competitors' matches for evaluation and scouting purposes.
With an impressive coaching and teaching career, Andrew served as a full-time Kinesiology faculty member at Cal Poly for 10 years. He now works as the National Team & Olympic Development Program Coach with USA Water Polo and is a Kinesiology Instructor/Aquatics Coach at the College of San Mateo.
The USA Women's Water Polo Team advanced to the bronze medal match against the Netherlands in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, but was unfortunately defeated with a score of 10-11.
Mark Barr (Nutrition, '09)
Mark Barr (Nutrition, '09) has won bronze in the Men's PTS2 Triathlon at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris!
Barr was a member of the Cal Poly swimming team from 2004-08. This accomplishment comes after three other Paralympic Games appearances.
“I’ve been chasing the podium for 20 years since 2004,” he said in an interview with USA Triathlon after claiming bronze. “Three fourth places, which is the worst place you can get in a race, so to finish on the podium finally is very rewarding. Man, a lot of training, a lot of heartache. I hate having to answer that I’ve never gotten a medal before. Now I can check that box, as a medalist, which is a great feeling to have. I had on my phone, a picture of the podiums that I’ve missed. It was good motivation to push through the dark days of training and keep motivation high.”
Laura Fawcett (Journalism, '92)
As the senior manager of digital media and content strategy at USA Volleyball since 2018, Fawcett oversees all social media, the website, e-newsletters, content creation, video production and podcast.
She had the honor of working in Paris as a press officer during the 2024 Paralympic Games, handling media relations and content creation for the women's sitting team.
The women's sitting team won the gold medal with a 3-1 victory over China and has medaled at every Paralympics since the discipline was introduced for women in 2004. Congratulations!
These are just a few of the great alumni involved in the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. If you attended either event or know any other Cal Poly alumni who were involved, submit their story to be featured at the link below!
