While a total of 43 athletes originally hale from or currently reside in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, three names stand out among this group of Olympians.
Allen Iverson
The United States men's basketball team includes Philadelphia 76ers co-captain Allen Iverson who reunites with former 76ers coach Larry Brown and a team of NBA All Stars to take on the best of the world in search of the gold metal that once was a guaranteed win for the U.S.A.
The American team will compete in Group B in the preliminary rounds which begin on Sunday, August 15, 2004. Group B consists of teams from Angola, Australia, Greece, Lithuania, Puerto Rico and the United States. All Preliminary Round and Classification Round games will be played at the HOSC Indoor Arena. Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Finals games will be played at OAKA Olympic Indoor Hall.
Dawn Staley
The U.S. Women's Basketball team includes Philadelphia native Dawn Staley who was also a member of the 1996 and 2000 U.S. Olympic Teams that won gold in Atlanta and Sydney. Staley has won 10 international medals, including nine gold and one bronze as a member of the USA National Team. She played for the Charlotte Sting in three consecutive WNBA All-Star games from 2001-2003 and is currently the head Women’s Basketball Coach at Temple University, where she led the Owls to the 2002 NCAA Tournament.
Lisa Raymond
Wayne, Pennyslvania's Lisa Raymond will join with doubles partner Martina Navratilova in what promises to be a difficult battle for the gold medal in women's doubles tennis. Their principal oposition may very well come from the fellow American pair of Venus Williams and Serena Williams. The 2004 Olympic tennis competition will be staged August 15-22 on hard courts at the Athens Olympic Tennis Center. The U.S. women’s team will look to sweep gold medals in both the singles and doubles competition for a fourth straight Olympiad.
Other Sports Respresented by Local Athletes
Almost half of the 45 member U.S. rowing team represents the Princeton Training Center. U.S. rowers will compete in 12 of the 14 rowing events in the Athens Olympics. In addition, New Jersey and Pennsylvania are sending atheletes in the following sports: boxing, cycling, equestrian, fencing, gymnastics, shooting, soccer, swimming, track & field, and wrestling,
Roster
Below is a complete roster of U.S. Olympians from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. We'll keep you posted on their results throughout the games.
New Jersey (28)
Athlete Age Sport Residence
Aquil Abdullah - 31 - Rowing - Princeton, NJ
Stacy Borgman - 29 - Rowing - Princeton, NJ
Pete Cipollone - 33 - Rowing - Princeton, NJ
Alison Cox - 25 - Rowing - Princeton, NJ
Megan Dirkmaat - 28 - Rowing - Princeton, NJ
Robert Dover - 48 - Equestrian - Flemington, NJ
Matt Emmons - 23 - Shooting - Browns Mills, NJ
Hillary Gehman - 33 - Rowing - Princeton, NJ
Scott Goldblatt - 25 - Swimming - Scotch Plains, NJ
Ben Holbrook - 30 - Rowing - Princeton, NJ
Kate Johnson - 25 - Rowing - Princeton, NJ
Chris Kappler - 37 - Equestrian - Pittstown, NJ
Dan Kellner - 28 - Fencing - Warren, NJ
Garrett Klugh - 29 - Rowing - Princeton, NJ
Laurel Korholz - 34 - Rowing - Princeton, NJ
Kate MacKenzie - 29 - Rowing - Princeton, NJ
Anna Mickelson - 24 - Rowing - Princeton, NJ
Wolf Moser - 29 - Rowing - Princeton, NJ
Lianne Nelson - 32 - Rowing - Princeton, NJ
Henry Nuzum - 27 - Rowing - Princeton, NJ
Heather O'Reilly - 19 - Soccer - East Brunswick, NJ
Christie Rampone - 29 - Soccer - Port Pleasant, NJ
Jason Read - 26 - Rowing - Ringoes, NJ
Kelly Salchow - 30 - Rowing - Princeton, NJ
Paul Teti - 27 - Rowing - Princeton, NJ
Bryan Volpenhein - 27 - Rowing - Princeton, NJ
Mary Whipple - 24 - Rowing - Princeton, NJ
Brett Wilkinson - 26 - Rowing - Princeton, NJ
Pennsylvania (15)
Athlete Age Sport Residence
Rock Allen - 22 - Boxing - Philadelphia, PA
Swin Cash - 24 - Basketball - McKeesport, PA
Brendan Hansen - 23 - Swimming - Havertown, PA
Allen Iverson - 28 - Basketball - Philadelphia, PA
Kristin Luckenbill - 25 - Soccer - Paoli, PA
Giddeon Massie - 23 - Cycling - Bethlehem, PA
Kerry McCoy - 29 - Wrestling - Bethlehem, PA
Sara McMann - 23 - Wrestling - Lock Haven, PA
Consuella Moore - 22 - Track & field - Chicago, PA
Marty Nothstein - 33 - Cycling - Trexlertown, PA
Lisa Raymond - 31 - Tennis - Wayne, PA
Jen Rhines - 30 - Track & Field - Ardmore, PA
Dawn Staley - 34 - Basketball - Philadelphia, PA
Kristal Uzelac - 17 - Gymnastics - Whitehall, PA
Mike Wherley - 32 - Rowing - Yardley, PA