Steve Anderson 鈥�05 鈥�07MA

Referee, men鈥檚 basketball

After attending the 2016 Rio Olympics as the only U.S. referee for the men鈥檚 basketball competition, Anderson returns to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. His career as an official has taken him around the world through his work with FIBA, the NBA and NCAA college basketball.

Anderson is one of the most successful graduates of the Recreation and Wellness Center鈥檚 intramural officiating program and the 麻豆原创 Basketball Officiating class, which is celebrating its 25th聽year. After earning his bachelor鈥檚 degree in sports and fitness in 2005, Anderson accepted a graduate assistant position at 麻豆原创鈥檚 recreation department, allowing him to earn his master鈥檚 degree in educational leadership. In addition to his continued work as an official, he also served as a mentor to younger referees within the program.

Anderson officiated the bronze medal match between Australia and Spain in 2016, which he considers to be one of the highlights of his career.

鈥淚 had the game-deciding call with seven seconds left that put Spain on the [free throw] line down one,鈥� he says. 鈥淓veryone that I talked to was like, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 a good call. You needed to make that call.鈥� And you鈥檒l never forget that because those are the plays that you want to have.聽鈥� Those are the plays that make or break your career.鈥�

Men鈥檚 basketball will tip off July 24 and conclude Aug. 6.

Kyle Coon 鈥�13

Team USA, Paratriathlon

Coon will appear in his first Paralympics as part of the 17-member Paratriathlon team that will try and match or exceed Team USA鈥檚 four medals in 2016 when the event debuted at the summer games.

Coon was profiled in Pegasus magazine in the Summer 2019 issue. At 10 months old, Coon was聽diagnosed with bilateral sporadic聽retinoblastoma, the most common聽form of eye cancer for children. By the time he turned 7, both聽of his eyes had been surgically聽removed.

Shortly after the procedure, his father introduced him to Erik Weihenmayer, a blind extreme athlete. It was the first time Coon met an adult who was blind, providing him an idea of the possibilities that lay ahead. Weihenmayer encouraged Coon to envision life without limits and suggested he try rock climbing.

Coon did that and more 鈥� from downhill skiing to hiking the Ancascocha Trail to Machu Picchu to summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro. After graduating from 麻豆原创 with a degree in communications, Coon became an endurance athlete, competing in numerous marathons and triathlons.

He is a two-time World Triathlon Para Series medalist and became a resident at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in January 2019 in pursuit of his goal of qualifying for Tokyo.

Coon competes alongside his guide, Andy Potts, a 2004 U.S. Olympian, 2007 Pan American Games gold medalist and decorated IRONMAN.

The paratriathlon competition in Tokyo consists of a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike and 5-kilometer run. Competition takes place Aug. 28鈥�29.

Phil Dalhausser 鈥�02

Team USA, beach volleyball

A veteran Olympian, Dalhausser will make his fourth appearance at the Olympics at the age of 41 and is on the hunt for a second medal.

In his first appearance in 2008 in Beijing, he not only won gold but was also named Most Outstanding Player for beach competition.

鈥淚t feels like it was yesterday. It鈥檚 crazy to me that it was 13 years ago,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hat keeps me motivated is both myself and my partner are 41 and we鈥檙e competing against guys in their mid-20s and early 30s. I want to prove that age is really only a number and you can still be a pretty good athlete later into your years.鈥�

Dalhausser earned his business degree from 麻豆原创 and his fondness for beach volleyball grew during his college days when he played club indoor volleyball and found ways to get extra practice on sand.

In addition to his many career highlights, he is a Michelle Akers Award winner (2009), which is 麻豆原创 Alumni鈥檚 highest honor given to graduates who have brought international, positive attention to 麻豆原创 through their accomplishments.

Competition for beach volleyball will start July 24, one day after the opening ceremony, and conclude Aug. 7,聽one day before the closing ceremony.

Aline Reis 鈥�11

Team Brazil, women鈥檚 soccer聽

Reis, who competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics, graduated in 2011 as one of 麻豆原创鈥檚 most decorated student-athletes and was聽inducted into the 麻豆原创 Athletics Hall of Fame聽in April 2019. She earned her degree in聽interdisciplinary studies聽with cum laude honors.

A native of Campinas, Brazil, Reis was recognized as an All-American goalkeeper both on the field and in the classroom during her career at 麻豆原创 from 2007 to 2011. She also led 麻豆原创 to the NCAA Tournament in four consecutive seasons, which included the program鈥檚 first trip to the Elite Eight in more than two decades in 2011.

Following graduation, Reis served as a volunteer goalkeeper coach for UCLA鈥檚 women鈥檚 soccer team before she decided to聽chase her dream of earning a spot on Brazil鈥檚 women鈥檚 national team ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Reis was named to one of the two goalkeeper spots for the Olympic roster and had her shining moment on Aug. 9, 2016, when she received a starting nod against South Africa and recorded a shutout for her team. She later was one of four Knights to compete at the 2019 FIFA Women鈥檚 World Cup.

The Brazilians are one of the few national teams never to have missed a Olympic women鈥檚 soccer tournament. Women鈥檚 soccer begins July 21 ahead of the opening ceremony and concludes Aug. 6.

Mattie Rogers 鈥�20

Team USA, weightlifting

Rogers, an Apopka native who graduated with her degree in sports and exercise science with summa cum laude honors, has been training for the Olympics ever since she was in grade school. She spent a large part of her childhood competing as a gymnast, but when she grew taller, instead of giving up on her dream, she found another route to get there.

Her father, who died from cancer when she was 5, left a letter for her to read on her 18^th birthday, in which he wrote: 鈥淚鈥檒l see you at the Olympics.鈥�

Rogers attended the 2016 Rio Olympics as an alternate, and she says that experience fueled her drive to ensure she wouldn鈥檛 miss out on competing at this year鈥檚 games.

鈥淚 was so upset sitting in the stands watching what could have been,鈥� she says. 鈥淎t the time I didn鈥檛 realize that was going to be helpful, but it鈥檚 what helped get me through the tougher parts of this [training and qualifying period] because I did not want to be in that position ever again. I knew I needed to continue to work hard and push so I made sure that didn鈥檛 happen.鈥�

She has pushed through some immense challenges since then. She fractured her spine and herniated a disc during competition in May 2019. Because she was still in a qualification period, she was back competing two months later. She moved up three weight classes to secure a spot on the team, and consumes about 4,000 calories a day to maintain her competition weight.

When the pandemic delayed the Olympics for a year and quarantine closed training facilities, she had to modify her garage 鈥� which was slanted 鈥� by cutting her living room carpet and layering it in the garage to account for the slope.

鈥淚 think I鈥檝e overcome a lot, and I鈥檓 really proud of learning and growing more as a human than as an athlete because I think had I not done that, I wouldn鈥檛 be the athlete that I am right now,鈥� she says.

Rogers鈥� weight class (women鈥檚 87 kg) competes Aug. 2.

Kristen Thomas 鈥�16

Team USA, rugby sevens

Thomas never played rugby until she arrived at 麻豆原创 as a theater studies major in 2011. The Philadelphia native signed up for the Recreation and Wellness Center鈥檚 club team during her first week of school 鈥� a decision that put her on the path to joining the USA national team just two years later.

鈥溌槎乖� was pretty instrumental in developing me as a player,鈥� she says. 鈥淥ur coach, Raoul Besse, really harped on our skills. The physicality of the game I think I get a lot from him because you need to be physical in a contact sport. He was the first one to nominate me for the under-20 national team and if he hadn鈥檛 done that, I don鈥檛 know if I would be where I am today.鈥�

When she was called up to the national team in January 2015, she had to move to California and finish the last year of her degree online. She knew it would be a challenge to be a professional athlete while carrying a full course load, but she was committed to pursuing both dreams.

She says she is grateful to the national team for allowing her to juggle both responsibilities, especially when she had to miss a week of practice once a month to return to 麻豆原创 to complete academic requirements related to her scholarship.

鈥淢y first goal was to get a college degree because I want to be able to take all of the opportunities that are afforded to me, and I got a scholarship to attend 麻豆原创 so I wanted to finish what I started,鈥� she says. 鈥淢y entire life, I鈥檝e always placed as much emphasis on schooling as I did sports. I would not have joined the national team if I couldn鈥檛 figure out a way to also finish school.鈥�

Although she has been a fan of the Olympics her entire life, the former high school track athlete says she was very realistic about her odds of actually competing in them one day 鈥� that was until she started playing rugby.

An injury forced her to sit out of the 2016 Summer Games, which marked rugby sevens鈥� debut at the Olympics 鈥� the first time in聽92 years that a form of rugby聽was contested at the Olympic Games. Now, she will not only have a chance to compete in Tokyo, but serve as a leader as the team鈥檚 co-captain in their quest for their first Olympic medal.

鈥淭his is really a dream come true,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 really excited, especially after missing out on the last one. It was a little bit tough to get yourself to dream again after you have it snatched away so quickly, but I think I鈥檝e overcome that and at this point I鈥檓 excited to be given the opportunity. I think the team has been vibing really well together. I think with the combination of our culture and the things we鈥檝e been working at on the field, we have a really good shot at getting gold.

Most of all, she wants the team to represent the beauty of America鈥檚 melting-pot culture.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important to show the world the makeup of the country,鈥� she says. 鈥淥n our team, we are [different] in a variety of ways and we鈥檙e just so open-minded and loving and caring. I just think if we can go out there and be the way that we are, it shows the world and the U.S. that, hey, you can embrace these differences and it can make you better for it. I think you find that commonality when you actually learn about each other. I think that鈥檚 a big statement we can make as a team.鈥�

Women鈥檚 rugby sevens competition will be held July 29颅鈥�31.

Chelsea Wolfe 鈥�16

Team USA, BMX freestyle (alternate)

BMX is making its debut at the Tokyo Olympics, and Wolfe, who graduated with a degree in political science, will be on hand as an alternate for the U.S. women鈥檚 squad.

Wolfe placed fifth in the BMX Freestyle Park finals at the UCI Urban World Championships in Montpellier, France, in June, which placed her third overall in the U.S. Team rankings and secured her spot as an alternate on the team.

According to her Team USA Cycling biography, Wolfe began BMX racing at 6 years old.

She got her start in freestyle competitions in 2014 in the Florida BMX park series and spent the next several years competing at the state level.

In 2016, she had just begun to travel nationally for BMX freestyle and the announcement came that the sport would be included in the 2020 Olympic Games. She began work to start competing internationally and ranked fifth in the world after her rookie UCI World Cup season.

In 2019 she finished third place at both the 2019 U.S. National and Pan-American Championships.

BMX competition will be held July 29鈥�30.

麻豆原创 alumnus Phil Dalhausser and student Afia Charles are among the competitors vying for the gold this summer. Opening ceremonies for the London Olympics are Friday, July 27, and the games run through Aug. 12.

Dalhausser, who graduated from 麻豆原创 in 2002 with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in business administration, will compete in beach volleyball. The volleyball pro lives in Ventura, Calif. He and his volleyball doubles partner, Todd Rogers, won gold medals in beach volleyball at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Dalhausser was born in Switzerland and lived there for a year before moving to the United States. 聽He played basketball and tennis at Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, and took up volleyball his senior year.

Dalhausser was a member of the Men鈥檚 Volleyball Club at 麻豆原创, which competes locally and nationally, and he has been named Beach Male Athlete of the Year by USA Volleyball for the past four years.

The preliminary phase of the beach volleyball Olympic tournament will be Saturday, July 28.

Rising junior Charles is 麻豆原创鈥檚 first track and field Olympian. Charles, who holds dual-citizenship with Antigua, will be competing for the island nation in the 400-meter dash. Charles has raced for Antigua since she first picked up running in high school.

Charles trained at 麻豆原创 alongside U.S. Olympian DeeDee Trotter 鈥� an聽already an Olympic bronze and gold medalist 鈥� 聽who is coached by 麻豆原创 track and field head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert. The women will compete in Round 1 on Friday, Aug. 3.

Dalhausser and Charles aren鈥檛 the only Knights representing 麻豆原创 in London.

麻豆原创 soccer player A.J. Nelson won鈥檛 be competing in the games, but he will be in London working as a video logger for NBC Sports. The senior forward is spending more than 20 days in London watching events and cutting highlight tapes as part of a summer internship.

The Olympic spirit will be hitting the 麻豆原创 campus, too. On-campus celebrations include:

Dalhausser (Ormond Beach, Fla.) and Rogers (Santa Barbara, Calif.), the tournament鈥檚 top seeds, defeated third-ranked Adrian Gavira and Pablo Herrera of Spain in the bronze medal match, 21-17, 21-16 win in 40 minutes.

Dalhausser and Rogers ended up in the bronze medal match after falling to Germany鈥檚 11th-seeded David Klemperer and Eric Koreng in the semifinals, 21-16, 13-21, 15-13 in 59 minutes. Klemperer and Koreng went on to win the gold medal, defeating ninth-ranked Tarjei Skarlund and Martin Spinnangr of Norway in the final, 21-16, 21-14 win in 41 minutes.

In defeating Gavira and Herrera for the sixth-time in eight SWATCH meetings, Dalhausser and Rogers shared $23,000 while the Spaniards split $18,400 for their fourth-place finish.

The top-ranked team on the 2010 SWATCH FIVB World Tour, Dalhausser and Rogers have captured four gold medals this season in Brazil, Italy, Poland and the Czech Republic with a silver medal finish in Moscow and a fourth-place in Shanghai.

With a Stavanger third for the second-straight year after winning the Vaagen Harbour gold medal in 2008, Dalhausser and Rogers increased their tour leadership over the Alison Cerutti and Emanuel Rego of Brazil and the Spaniards. The Americans have 4,380 points for seven events this season with Alison and Emanuel 880 points behind at 3,500 points followed by Gavira and Herrera with 3,120 points.

Source: TeamUSA.org,Dalhausser, Rogers Celebrate 4th with 6th Medal, by B.J. Hoeptner Evans,聽Manager, Media Relations and Publications.聽Phone: (719) 228-6800,聽E-Mail: bj.evans@usav.org

Five distinguished alumni from the College of Business Administration were honored during the recent Black and Gold Gala held during Homecoming Week. Awards were presented to:

Rising Star Award: Erik Lembcke, 鈥�06. Lembcke received his BSBA in finance. While at 麻豆原创 he served as a member of the Financial Managers Association (FMA) and Res Ipsa Lequiter (Law Society). Lembcke assisted with the organization of the 麻豆原创 Real Estate Club and is an active volunteer for the 麻豆原创 Dr. P. Phillips School of Real Estate, where he has spoken to students in the classroom and at events. He currently serves as the NAIOP Developing Leaders Committee Chair and as the Community Service Chair for the CBA Alumni Chapter Executive Committee. In addition to his commitment to 麻豆原创 and the community, he is currently employed by Sun Trust Bank as a Financial Services Representative.

Professional Achievement Award: Alex Martins, 鈥�01. Martins received his Master of Business Administration degree. Not only has he been a leader in sport business throughout the Central Florida community, but also plays a key role in 麻豆原创’s nationally-recognized DeVos Sport Business Management Graduate Program. Martins was a key advisor to the dean of the college and the committee designing the DeVos program curriculum. Martins has maintained his close association with the DeVos program, serving as a mentor and leader to all students in the program. Martins is a member of the CBA Dean’s Executive Council and a member of the Hall of Fame. He is also a leader within the Orlando community, and has been instrumental in developing the new downtown events center that will be home to the Orlando Magic.

Distinguished Student Award: Lalita Booth, 鈥�09. Booth, who graduated earlier this year, has demonstrated leadership and academic excellence and is now acknowledged as one of 麻豆原创鈥檚 elite. An Accounting and Finance major, she graduated Summa Cum Laude and was recognized as the CBA鈥檚 Top Honor Graduate for her exceptional GPA. Formerly homeless and a high school dropout, Booth is currently a graduate student at Harvard University and is a Jack Kent Cooke Continuing Graduate Scholar and a Truman Scholar. In 2008, Booth was recognized as one of Glamour Magazine鈥檚 Top Ten College Women based on her leadership and personal involvement in the community. In addition to her awards, she founded the Lighthouse for Dreams Financial Literacy Project. Her program is dedicated to teaching disadvantaged teens, adult learners and high school students the principles of sound financial management. She also serves as a free tax advocate and return preparer for low-income filers.

Michelle Akers Award: Phil Dalhausser, 鈥�02. Dalhausser received a B.S.B.A. in Business Administration. This award is named for the World Soccer Hall of Fame star and 麻豆原创 alumna Michelle Akers and is presented annually to an alumnus who is recognized in their chosen career on an international scope. Dalhausser and his teammate Todd Rodgers won the beach volleyball gold medal for the U.S. team during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.While at 麻豆原创 Dalhausser played on a club volleyball team. In addition to receiving an award, Dalhausser served as a grand marshal during the Homecoming Parade.

Community Service Award: Karl Palvisak, 鈥�83. Palvisak is a CPA and has a degree in Accounting. He received this award for his many years of volunteering in the community at organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America, Tipisa Lodge, Common Cent鈥檚 Campaign and the 麻豆原创 Alumni Association. In addition to his commitment to 麻豆原创 and the community, he is the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of GAI Consultants.

For more photos of the 2009 Black & Gold Gala, visit the .

Dalhausser, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, headlines a week of circus-themed Homecoming activities dubbed the “Greatest Week on Earth.” Students, alumni and community members will enjoy a comedy show, concerts and Spirit Splash, the traditional dip in the campus Reflecting Pond.

麻豆原创 also will unveil a statute honoring founding president Charles N. Millican. The statue will be revealed Friday, Nov. 13, outside Millican Hall.

Homecoming Week begins Saturday, Nov. 7, and concludes Saturday, Nov. 14, when the Knights and Houston Cougars will kick off at noon at Bright House Networks Stadium.

For information on game day traffic and parking, visit .

For more information on Homecoming events, visit the .

Down 7-6 in the third and deciding game, Dalhausser and Rogers went on a 5-0 run to get ahead for good.

Although they’ve now won five of the season’s 10 events, it’s been a relatively mediocre season for the duo, who won 11 of 15 AVP events and an Olympic gold medal last year. They hadn’t won on the AVP Crocs Tour since May.

“What feels even better (than winning four straight) is getting back on the podium,” Dalhausser said.

Photo courtesy of AVP: For the complete story visit the AVP .

麻豆原创 Today Note: Phil Dalhausser is a 麻豆原创 alum.