7 Cougs, LCSC’s Atkin head to Olympics
Seven former WSU athletes and a former Warriors distance runner ready to compete against the best in the world
Nearly 7,000 athletes representing the best in the world in their respective disciplines are set to step foot onto boats in Paris’ Seine River for the Summer Olympics’ opening ceremony today (10:30 a.m. Pacific on NBC/Peacock).
Among those are seven former Washington State Cougars and former Lewis-Clark State phenom Sam Atkin. The group will represent seven different countries in Paris.
Here’s a breakdown of each area college athlete competing across the next 16 days in the City of Light:
Lewis-Clark State
Sam Atkin, men’s track and field, Great Britain
Atkin, a Lewis-Clark State Hall of Famer, is primed for his second Olympic appearance.
He will be the first Warrior to compete in multiple Olympics when he runs in the first round of the 5,000 meters on Aug. 7.
Atkin was an unstoppable force during his time in Lewiston from 2011-16, winning four NAIA national titles and 10 All-American accolades across outdoor and indoor track and field.
The Lincolnshire, England, native previously competed in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He enters the Paris Games with a 5,000 time of 12 minutes, 54.66 seconds — the second-best time ever by a Brit.
“I am excited to represent my country once again and take in the true Olympic experience,” Atkin said in a news release earlier this month. “Of course, having both my family and the (L-C coach Mike) Collins family there by my side will make it even more special.”
Washington State
Trinity Rodman, women’s soccer, United States
The Olympics’ opening ceremony hasn’t even happened yet and Rodman has already scored a goal for her country.
In the United States’ opening game Thursday against Zambia, Rodman received a pass in the opposing box, spun around backwards to generate space and fired in the Americans’ first goal in their 3-0 victory.
Rodman, 22, is a rising star in U.S. soccer. While Rodman attended WSU in the fall of 2020, she never stepped foot in a game for the Cougs because the fall season was delayed because of COVID-19.
That winter, she was taken as the No. 2 pick in the NWSL draft by the Washington Spirit as the youngest player to ever be drafted.
C.J. Allen, men’s track and field, United States
Sporting a full beard, slicked back hair and groovy shades, Allen bounded his way to Paris by way of the U.S. Olympic track and field trials last month in Eugene, Ore.
The 400-meter hurdler ran a time of 47.81 to finish second at the trials.
Allen, who left WSU in 2017 and as a two-time All-American and two-time Pac-12 champion, qualified for his first Olympics 19 years after he leapt over his first hurdle as a child in Belfair, Wash.
“This is probably my greatest dream to make this team,” Allen told flotrack.org.
Josh Hawkinson, men’s basketball, Japan
U.S.-born Hawkinson, of Shoreline, Wash., traveled a unique path to his first Olympics with Japan.
A standout 6-foot-10 forward for the Cougars from 2013-17, Hawkinson earned Japanese citizenship in 2023 after seven seasons playing professional hoops in the country.
In his college days, Hawkinson finished his Wazzu career with 40 double-doubles, the third most in school history.
Maribel Caicedo, women’s track and field, Ecuador
A 2024 WSU graduate, Caicedo owns the program record in the 100-meter hurdles.
Caicedo smashed the WSU record by more than half a second last month when she finished second in 12.56 at the NCAA Championships.
The Guayaquil, Ecuador, native enters the Games with the 15th-fastest time in the world this year.
Jasneet Nijjar, women’s track and field, Canada
The Canadian sprinter ended her Cougar career this spring with four school records.
Nijjar’s time of 51.84 in the 400 at last months’ Canadian trials broke a Cougar record that had stood since 1988 and earned her a spot on her country’s 1,600 relay team.
Charisma Taylor, women’s track and field, Bahamas
Taylor is set to compete for the Bahamas in both the triple jump and 100 hurdles.
The Nassau, Bahamas, native remains WSU’s record holder in the triple jump (43 feet, 3 3/4 inches). She was with the Cougs from 2018-21.
Ieva Adomavičiūtė, women’s rowing, Lithuania
Adomavičiūtė, a 2017 WSU graduate, will compete in women’s pair rowing in Paris. She has won several gold medals in rowing at various world competitions over the years.
Wiebe is the Lewiston Tribune sports editor. He may be contacted at (208) 848-2277, swiebe@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @StephanSports.
