Grant James, Ross James: Men’s rowing
The only things certain in life are death, taxes, and a Badger rower representing team USA in the Olympics. Wisconsin’s crew team has been represented in every Olympic games dating back to 1968, and the 2012 Olympiad would be no different.
Ross and Grant James brought a national championship to Wisconsin in 2008 and now the twins make up one-quarter of the U.S. men’s eight.
The crew won its heat on Saturday, but in Wednesday’s final it fell just short of the medal stand, finishing in fourth place. Team USA posted a time of 5:51.48, which was just three-tenths of a second behind third place Great Britain and three seconds behind gold medal winner Germany.
Kristen Hedstrom: Women’s rowing
The Badger women were also represented on the water, with Kristen Hedstrom competing in the lightweight women’s double.
Hedstrom raced for the U.S. senior national team since 2009, winning a gold and two bronze medals at the 2011 World Rowing Cup.
The duo finished third in its heat but dominated the repechage, leading wire-to-wire to advance to the semifinals.
They finished fourth in their semi, failing to qualify for the grand final. Hedstrom will instead row in the "B" final at 9:40 a.m. (CST) on Saturday.
Egle Staisiunaite: Women’s 400m hurdles
A 2011 graduate, Staisiunaite will compete for her native Lithuania in the 400m hurdles August 5 at 3 p.m. (CST).
Staisiunaite holds the Wisconsin school record in the women's 100m hurdles (13.45) and shuttle hurdle relay (56.77). As a senior, she qualified for the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Championships after a personal best (58.53) in the 400m hurdles.
UPDATE: Staisiunaite finished in 5th place in her heat on Sunday. With a time of 57.79 she just missed out on qualifying for the semifinal round.
Evan Jager: Men’s 3,000m steeplechase
The Algonquin, Ill., native spent just one year at Wisconsin (2007-’08) before leaving to sign an endorsement deal with Nike and attend Portland State University. He now resides in Portland, Ore., where he competes for Oregon Track Club Elite and is coached by Jerry Schumacher, who formerly coached cross country—and Jager—at Wisconsin.
Jager won the 3,000m steeplechase event at the 2012 US Olympic trials in Eugene, Ore., with a time of 8:17.40.
Jager posted a time of 8:16.61 in Round 1 of the 3,000m steeplechase August 3 in London, which was good enough for second in his heat and overall.
UPDATE: Jager finished sixth in the 3,000m steeplechase final on Sunday, posting a time of 8:23.87. Jager led for part of the race but was eventually passed by the winner (Ezekiel Kemboi of Kenya) and others.
Gwen Jorgensen: Women’s triathlon
Jorgensen grew up in Milwaukee, Wis., and graduated from Wisconsin in 2009. She competed for the cross country, track and field and swim teams for three years in Madison before switching to track full-time for her senior year. The transition paid off, as Jorgensen took first in the 5,000m and 3,000m at the 2009 Big Ten Championships.
Jorgensen made an immediate impact in her first year as a professional athlete for the US, most notably finishing second at the 2010 PATCO Pan American Championship in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. She was named the USA Triathlon rookie of the year and elite duathlete of the year in 2010.
UPDATE: Jorgensen finished in 38th place (third among Americans) in Saturday's triathlon, posting a time of 2:06:34.
Mohammed Ahmed: Men’s 10,000m
The St. Catherine’s, Ontario, native was a part of the 2011 Wisconsin men’s cross country national championship team. Ahmed was named a first-team cross country All-American after placing fifth overall at the 2011 NCAA Championships. It was Ahmed’s third-consecutive All-American award in cross country. Further, he earned All-American honors at 10,000m in 2010 after winning the event at the Big Ten Championships with a 29:03.71. His personal best in the 10,000m at Wisconsin is 28:57.44.
UPDATE: Ahmed finished in 18th place in the men's 10,000m with a time of 28:13.91
Matt Tegenkamp: Men’s 10,000m
A 2005 Wisconsin graduate, Tegenkamp will also compete in the 10,000m run. He came to Madison after growing up in Lee’s Summit, Mo. Like Jager, Tegenkamp runs for Oregon Track Club Elite and is coached by Schumacher. His personal best in the 10,000m is 27:28.22. He is also the American record holder in the two-mile run (8:07.07).
UPDATE: Tegenkamp finished just behind fellow Badger Mohammed Ahmed in 19th place in the men's 10,000m with a time of 28:18.26.
Hilary (Edmonson) Stellingwerff: Women’s 1,500m
A Sarnia, Ontario, native, Stellingwerff will compete for Canada in the opening round of the women’s 1,500m run August 6 at 5:45 a.m. (CST).
The 2004 UW-Madison graduate posted her best 1,500m time (4:05.08) earlier this year.
UPDATE: Stellingwerff ran a 4:05.79 to finish sixth in her heat and overall. She will race in the semifinals Wednesday, August 8 at 3:45 p.m. (CST).
UPDATE: With a time of 4:05.57, Stellingwerff finished 16th in the semifinal heat, missing Friday's final by just one-tenth of a second.
