Gaels Gear Up for the 2024 Summer Olympics

July 16, 2024

Academics News

New Rochelle, N.Y. – Six members of Gael Nation – both past and present – are set to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.

Former student-athletes from Iona’s Division I athletics programs have been selected to join more than 10,000 top athletes worldwide from July 26 to August 11, 2024.

Emma Hayes, former head coach of Iona University women’s soccer team, will also be in Paris as the leader of the U.S. Women’s National Team.

“We’re so proud of how far our Gaels are going,” said Matthew Glovaski, director of athletics at Iona University. “We’ll be cheering them on and wishing everyone the best of luck in Paris.”

Congratulations to the following athletes:

• Juana Camilion ’22, ’23MA, Spain – Women’s Basketball
• Leonard Korir ’12, USA – Track & Field
• Maël Gouyette ’23MA, France -Track & Field

Additionally, members of Iona’s Media and Strategic Communications Department were selected to participate in various production roles during the event. Joining these athletes in Paris are Nico Laveris ’23MS and Bruce Beck.

Beck, an Executive-in-Residence at Iona, will leverage his extensive media background as a sports anchor with WNBC. Laveris, meanwhile, will be joining the Games on production.

Gaels’ participation in the Olympics highlights the University’s commitment to both academic and athletic excellence. With 24 Division I teams , Iona empowers students to reach their full potential both on and off the playing field.

Viewers can watch the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games on July 26 at 1:30 p.m. EST across NBCUniversal platforms. Learn more about how to watch the Olympic Games here. 

Visit here for the latest news and updates about the Olympic Games.

ABOUT IONA
Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students and an alumni base of more than 50,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona is widely recognized in prestigious rankings, including The Princeton Review’s 2025 national list of “The Best 390 Colleges” and The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse’s “2024 Best Colleges in America,” which ranked Iona at #66 in the nation overall and #8 in the nation among Catholic schools. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just six percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review recognized Iona’s on-campus MBA program as a “Best Business School for 2023.” Iona also offers a fully online MBA program for even greater flexibility. In July 2021, Iona announced the establishment of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, which is now principally located on Iona’s Bronxville campus in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian. Connecting to its Irish heritage, the University also recently announced it is expanding abroad with a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.