Blue and gold always reign supreme at meetings of the University of California Board of Regents, but the Sept. 18-19 meeting boasted a little more gold than usual, as UC Olympians and Paralympians were invited to share their reflections on the Summer Games in Paris and honored by the Board.
The Regents and the public heard from eight UC athletes: paracyclist Hannah Chadwick, water polo players Sienna Green, Johnny Hooper and Tara Prentice, track and field athletes Leo Merle and Camryn Rogers, swimmer Gizem Guvenc, and Joanna Hayes, who won gold in the hurdles in Athens in 2004 and is now UCLA’s director of track and field/cross-country.
UC athletes had a remarkable summer in Paris: 103 Olympians, representing five UC campuses, competed in 27 sports. The medal haul they brought back — 11 gold, 14 silver and 14 bronze medals — would have made UC the 11th-most successful nation in the world if it were a country. Four Paralympians, including Chadwick and Merle, competed in Paris as well, with UC Berkeley student Noah Jaffe ‘25 winning silver and bronze for Team USA in men’s swimming.
“We are very proud of all the athletes, coaches, and staff who participated and supported our UC competitors,” UC President Michael V. Drake said. Athletes’ remarks ranged from delight at the quality of baked goods in Paris to the life-changing impact of competing on the world stage — and how a UC education made so much of their achievements and self-belief possible.
“When I entered UC Irvine, both my parents had never even gone to college, and I didn’t know what I wanted to achieve in college,” Tara Prentice, UC Irvine alumna and water polo player, said. “I ended up leaving with two master’s and two undergraduate degrees. I don’t say that to say, ‘Look at me,’ but when you put yourself in such positive environments and allow yourself to be a dreamer and let yourself be inspired by those around you, they really can see something in you that you potentially don’t see in yourself. That’s the greatest gift the UC system, and especially UC Irvine, gave to me.”
“Chancellor [Howard] Gillman is almost jumping out of his seat, beaming with pride,” Board of Regents Chair Janet Reilly said, smiling.
Camryn Rogers, a UC Berkeley gold medalist in hammer throw and one of the most dominant collegiate hammer throwers in history, also spoke about how a UC education set her up to achieve her athletic goals as well as a lifetime of future success. “If you come to Cal, your life will change in ways you never even thought were possible,” she recounted a future coach telling her.
Rogers, struggling with imposter syndrome, overcame her fears and embraced the opportunity, staying busy as an athlete, student worker and a multiple degree earner. “Attending such an academically rigorous school teaches you so many life skills,” she said. Rogers represented Canada in the Summer Games, but when she carries her nation’s flag around the world, she still hears shouts of “Go Bears!” she said, laughing. “It was just such a magical feeling to see the UC network and the Cal family extend all over the world. I’ve had that experience on different continents now, and it’s so amazing. So much of Cal prepared me for that.”
Joanna Hayes, a member of the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame for her achievements as a student-athlete, now director of track and field/cross-country at the campus, offered the unique perspective of a gold medalist-turned-coach. “It’s almost like I don’t know much of a difference between me winning or any of the athletes I coach,” she said, describing the grueling journey to the pinnacle of the sport her athletes undertake. Among the athletes she has coached is Rai Benjamin, former UCLA student, who got tantalizingly close to the gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the 400-meter hurdles, breaking an American world record, and finally got the gold in Paris.
“There’s no sound quite like the sound of 80,000 people sitting around a track,” Leo Merle, a UC Santa Cruz alum and Paralympics runner, added. “It just becomes this deafening sound when the race goes off, and that experience is in no way to be described. It’s something that’s absolutely amazing and changes a person from the inside.”
Merle pursued not only running but molecular biology research while at UC Santa Cruz, and has now earned his doctorate in dentistry. His next goal is a master’s degree in microsurgery and endodontics. “I felt really connected not only to the sports and academics, but the university itself,” Merle added, of his time as a Banana Slug. “I felt really heard, seen and supported.”
“The American collegiate athletics model is unique in that it brings together excellence in academics and sports,” President Drake said. “American athletes have a great opportunity to attend top-notch universities where both of these talents — academic and athletic — can be nurtured and lifted up. Whether it’s “Go Aggies!” or “Go Slugs!” or “Go Bears!” our student athletes have a strong connection to a campus community that helps support them throughout their lives. All of these athletes are tremendous representatives of the best of the University of California, and they made us all proud in Paris.”
Watch the athletes speak about their experiences in this recording of the Sept 19 Board of Regents session. Athletes include:
Hannah Chadwick, UC Davis, paracycling, Team USA, Paris 2024 Paralympics
Sienna Green, UCLA, water polo, Team Australia, Paris 2024 Olympics silver medalist
Gizem Güvenç, UCLA, swimming, Team Türkiye, Paris 2024 Olympics
Joanna Hayes, UCLA, track and field, Team USA, Athens 2004 Olympics, gold medalist
Johnny Hooper, UC Berkeley, water polo, Team USA, Paris 2024 Olympics bronze medalist
Leo Merle, UC Santa Cruz, track and field, Team USA, Paris 2024 Paralympics
Tara Prentice, UC Irvine, water polo, Team USA, Paris 2024 Olympics
Camryn Rogers, UC Berkeley, track and field, Team Canada, Paris 2024 Olympics gold medalist
Camryn Rogers, left, shares her gold medal from Paris with UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons.
