NMU National Training Site Alumni Head to Olympics
Courtesy: Northern Michigan Wildcats
The Northern Michigan University National Training Site has ties to five athletes competing at the Tokyo Olympic Games July 23- August 8. The list includes two freestyle wrestlers, one Greco-Roman athlete, one Greco-Roman coach and one weightlifter.
Competing in the women’s freestyle events are Helen Maroulis and Adeline Gray. Both athletes attended Marquette Senior High School while participating in the former United States Olympic Education Center women’s freestyle program at NMU. That program ran from 2004-2012. It will be the second Olympics for both athletes, as they participated in the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. In Rio, Maroulis made history by earning Team USA’s first Olympic gold medal in women’s freestyle.
Competing at 67 kg in Greco-Roman will be former NMU student Alejandro Sancho. This will be the first Games for Sancho, who now competes for the United States Army World Class Athlete Program. Joining Sancho will be Spenser Mango. Having represented Team USA as an athlete in 2008 and 2012, the 2010 NMU graduate will go to the Games as a coach.
Former NMU student Sarah Robles earned her third trip to the Games. The weightlifter broke a 16-year drought for Team USA when she won a bronze medal at the 2016 Games.
Women’s Free Style
57 kg – Helen Maroulis, 2016 Olympian (Gold medalist)
76 kg – Adeline Gray, 2016 Olympian
Greco-Roman
67 kg – Alejandro Sancho
Staff Sgt. Spenser Mango
2008, 2012 Olympian
Weightlifting
+87 kg Sarah Robles, 2012, 2016 Olympian (Bronze medalist)