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Meet the Hoosiers going for gold at this year's Olympics

These are the Hoosiers who have qualified for the Olympics and there may be more to come.

INDIANAPOLIS — The U.S. Olympic Team is already full of athletes with Indiana connections and more Hoosiers are hopeful they'll be added to the mix. 

More than 600 athletes will represent the United States in Tokyo later this summer and a number of them are from Indiana. 

Hoosiers have dominated in diving and swimming. These trials are now over, but more trials in other events are just getting started. Track and field trials are ongoing and three Hoosiers have already earned their spot on Team USA. Plus, USA Basketball announced its team on June 21, and South Bend's Skylar Diggins-Smith made the roster.

Meet the athletes with Indiana ties below and check back as more may be added later.  

RELATED: Meet the Hoosiers representing Team USA at the Paralympic Games

Basketball

Skylar Diggins-Smith - South Bend/Notre Dame

Credit: AP
Phoenix Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith drives to the lane during the second half of a WNBA basketball first round playoff game against the Washington Mystics, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, in Bradenton, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Skylar Diggins-Smith will be on the court with some of the most decorated stars of international basketball shooting for Team USA’s seventh consecutive gold medal. 

The U.S. squad has a combined 19 FIBA World Cup gold medals, making it one of the most experienced teams in the world.  

Diggins-Smith was part of the team that won the first-ever FIBA 3x3 World Cup in 2012. The guard is a four-time WNBA All-Star now playing with the Phoenix Mercury. 

She will turn 31 in Tokyo and there's no doubt she's hoping to get gold for her birthday this year. 

Jewell Loyd - University of Notre Dame

University of Notre Dame graduate Jewell Loyd will be on a star-studded team competing for gold in Tokyo. 

The Illinois native played for the Seattle Storm. She's a two-time WNBA Champion and a two-time WNBA all-star. She was named Rookie of the Year in 2015. 

Loyd has dyslexia and is dedicated to improving the lives of kids with learning disabilities. 

3-on-3 Basketball

Jackie Young - Princeton, Indiana/University of Notre Dame

Jackie Young spent three years at Notre Dame where she helped the Fighting Irish compile a 105-10 record and capture the 2018 NCAA Championship.

She also played for the U.S. in a 3-on-3 training camp in 2020 and competed in the event in the 2019 World Beach Games.  

Now she's going to Tokoyo for her first Olympic Games. Young joins Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray and her Las Vegas Aces teammate Kelsey Plum. 

Another Ace is Tokyo Bound! 🇺🇸🏀 Jackie Young will be joining USA Basketball 3x3 at Tokyo 2020!

Posted by Las Vegas Aces on Monday, July 19, 2021

Young is replacing Katie Lou Samuelson who was taken out of the Games after contracting COVID-19 while training in Las Vegas. 

RELATED: Samuelson tests positive for COVID-19, out of Olympics

Cycling

Chloé Dygert - Brownsburg/Marian University

Credit: AP
United States' Chloe Dygert pedals during the women elite race, at the road cycling World Championships in Harrogate, England, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Chloé Dygert was born in Indianapolis, attended Marian University and now calls Brownsburg home. 

She qualified for the Olympics with a win in a time trial at the 2019 World Championships. She was positioned to be a favorite to take gold. However, while she was trying to defend her world title last September, Dygert suffered a leg injury. 

Dygert won the women’s time trial at the USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships on June 17 and showed she had recovered from her injury.

Dygert will compete in three events in Tokyo: the road race July 25, time trial July 28 and team pursuit Aug. 2-3.

Coryn Rivera - Marian University

Credit: AP
United States' Coryn Rivera competes during the women's elite event, at the road cycling World Championships, in Imola, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Coryn Rivera earned 72 national championship titles across four disciplines: road, track, cyclocross, and mountain bike. She's also the first-ever American to win the Tour of Flanders.

Now, she's off to the Olympics where she'll compete with Chloé Dygert in the road race. 

Felicia Stancil - Marian University

Felicia Stancil will make her Olympic debut in BMX racing later this summer. The Lake Villa, Illinois native went to Marian University and finished second in the 2019 world cup series rankings.

Diving

Andrew Capobianco and Michael Hixon - Indiana University

Credit: AP
United States' Michael Hixon and Andrew Capobianco perform a dive during the men's synchronized 3-meter springboard preliminaries at the FINA Diving World Cup Sunday, May 2, 2021, at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Andrew Capobianco and Michael Hixon will represent IU in the synchronized 3-meter springboard competition in Tokyo. 

Hixon, a 2018 IU graduate, won a silver medal in the event at the Rio Olympics five years ago. He finished tenth in the individual 3-meter event.

Capobianco, this year's 3-meter NCAA champion, will be making his first Olympics appearance.

The duo won handily with 1,289.27 points. Greg Duncan and Grayson Campbell took second at 1,168.80. Hixon and Capobianco capped off their list with a forward 4 1/2 somersault tuck that earned 90.6 points for a dive with a 3.8 degree of difficulty.

Jessica Parratto - Indianapolis/Indiana University 

Credit: AP
United States' Jessica Parratto competes during the women's 10-meter platform diving preliminary round in the Maria Lenk Aquatic Center at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

Jessica Parratto, a 2019 Indiana University graduate, will head to her second Olympics as part of a synchronized 10-meter platform team with Delaney Schnell. 

Parratto, who was born in Indianapolis, finished seventh in the synchronized 10-meter and tenth in the individual 10-meter events at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Schnell dives at the University of Arizona. 

Parratto and Schnell were consistent throughout the final round, finishing with 930.00 points. Katrina Young, who made the Olympic team in 2016, and Murphy Bromberg finished second at 888.54.

Brandon Loschiavo - Purdue University 

Credit: AP
United States' Brandon Loschiavo competes during the semifinals of the men's 10m platform diving competitions at the World Swimming Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, Friday, July 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

USA Diving and NCAA champion Brandon Loschiavo, a student-athlete at Purdue, will join the U.S. Olympic Team in Tokyo.

This will be his very first Olympic Games. He will compete in the 10-meter. 

Loschiavo is a five-time national champion and would like to become a diving coach. He is majoring in mass communications at Purdue and plays the ukulele.

Tyler Downs - Fishers/Purdue University

Tyler Downs, a 17-year-old Purdue recruit from Fishers, is the youngest member of Team USA.

"The cheers were insane. It's so cool to hear all of that," Downs said after qualifying in the 3-meter springboard. "I came in with no expectations, just to have fun, dove my best and ended up on the Olympic team!" 

In the 3-meter springboard, Downs and Capobianco both secured their ticket to Tokyo by besting the three-time Olympian and gold medalist from Noblesville, David Boudia.

RELATED: Several divers from Indiana headed to Tokyo for Team USA

Fencing

Nick Itkin - University of Notre Dame

Nick Itkin is one of Team USA's top men's foil fencers. He took the fencing world by storm beating some of the world's top fencers. Itkin recently qualified for his first Olympic Games where he will compete both individually and in a team event. 

Itkin is a junior at Notre Dame. He's won two individual NCAA titles and two team titles for the Irish.

Mariel Zagunis - University of Notre Dame

Mariel Zagunis, 35, of Beaverton, Oregon, is the most decorated U.S. fencer. She'll have another chance to get gold this summer in Tokyo. She will be competing in saber fencing. 

The Notre Dame graduate went to her first Olympics in 2004, when she was upgraded from a replacement athlete and went on to become the first U.S. fencer in 100 years to claim a gold medal. She defended that gold medal in 2008 and also won bronze medals in 2008 and 2016. 

Gerek Meinhardt and Lee Kiefer - University of Notre Dame

Husband and wife duo Gerek Meinhardt and Lee Kiefer will be going to the Olympics, together. 

They are both extremely decorated fencers. Meinhardt is a four-time Olympian and his wife Kiefer is a three-time Olympian. 

Meinhardt started fencing at age 9. He was introduced to the sport after taking a piano lesson from fencing coach Greg Massialas' wife. In 2007, he became the first U.S. men's fencer ever to qualify for the cadet, junior and senior world teams all in the same year. 

Similarly, Kiefer was the youngest member of the 2009 U.S. Senior World Foil Team. She started fencing at age 5 and in 2011 she was the only athlete in the world to have earned individual podium finishes at the senior, junior and cadet world championships. Six years later, Kiefer became the first American woman to earn a number one foil ranking.

Credit: AP/Martin Meji
Lee Kiefer of the United States celebrates her victory after facing Zi Jia Guo of Canada in a women's foil individual gold medal bout at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Kelley and Courtney Hurley - University of Notre Dame

For Kelley and Courtney Hurley, fencing is a family affair. The sisters grew up in San Antonio, Texas, where they were trained by their father.

Kelley is a three-time Olympian and her younger sister Courtney is a two-time Olympian. 

The Hurley sisters and Kat Holmes made history in 2018 when they became the first U.S. women’s epee team to win a senior world championship.  

Sabrina Massialas (Foil, replacement athlete) - University of Notre Dame

Sabrina Massialas is a foil fencing replacement athlete. She went to the University of Notre Dame and this will be her first Olympic appearance. 

Massialas won gold at the 2014 Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China, and she was the first U.S. athlete in any weapon ever to win gold at the Youth Olympic Games.

Francesca Russo (Sabre, replacement athlete) - University of Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame's Francesca Russo will be the sabre fencing replacement athlete. This is her first Olympic appearance. 

Gymnastics

Alec Yoder - Indianapolis

Credit: AP
Alec Yoder competes on the pommel horse during the men's U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials Thursday, June 24, 2021, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Alec Yoder is one of five male gymnasts going to Tokyo. He earned the "plus-one" specialist spot after two pommel horse routines at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

RELATED: Here are the five gymnasts representing the US in men's gymnastics in Tokyo

The "plus-one" selection is new to the Tokyo Olympics. It's part of a larger change that includes shrinking team sizes from five to four. Yoder will compete at the Olympics as an individual, with his scores not counting to the team.  

Yoder is an Indianapolis native, former Ohio State standout and a 2014 Youth Olympian.

Rugby

Joe Schroeder - Westfield/Cathedral High School

USA Rugby announced the 15-man roster for the Tokyo Olympics on Friday, July 2.

Westfield native Joe Schroeder was named one of the 12 starters and has competed in 12 World Rugby Sevens Series events — the fewest of all the starters.

Credit: KLC fotos/Mike Lee
Joe Schroeder (center) is a Westfield native and graduated from Cathedral High School.

According to USA Rugby, Schroeder graduated from Cathedral High School, where he picked up rugby at 15 years old.

Men's rugby competition runs from July 26-28. The USA will face South Africa, Kenya and Ireland in Pool C.

Swimming

Michael Brinegar - Columbus/Indiana University

Indiana University's Michael Brinegar punched his ticket to Tokyo during the U.S. Olympic Trials. The Columbus native hit the wall finishing in second place at the trials with a time of 7:49.94 in the 800-meter freestyle, earning him a spot in the Olympics.

He finished second in the 1500-meter freestyle at the trials, which also qualified him for the Olympic team.

Drew Kibler - Carmel

Credit: AP
Drew Kibler checks his time after competing in a men's 100-meter freestyle semifinal during wave 2 of the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials on Monday, June 14, 2021, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Drew Kibler finished third in the men's 200 freestyle with a time of 1:45.92. He's the first Carmel swimmer to ever reach the Olympics.

Kibler's time, his personal best, ensures he'll be part of the United States' 4x200-meter freestyle relay team in Tokyo. Kibler currently represents Longhorn Aquatics and the University of Texas.

Jake Mitchell - Carmel

Credit: AP
Jake Mitchell reacts after his lone men's 400 freestyle qualifying heat during wave 2 of the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials on Tuesday, June 15, 2021, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Another Carmel alum, Jake Mitchell, swam a 400-meter freestyle time trial with no one else in the pool to qualify for the Games. Although he finished second in the event finals at the trials in Omaha, his time wasn't fast enough to meet the Olympic standard. 

Given until June 27 to post a time better than the FINA standard, Mitchell got back in the pool in Omaha for a solo swim.

As Mitchell reached for the wall to finish the trial, the crowd in Omaha roared as his time showed on the scoreboard — 3:45.86 — fast enough to earn his spot on the Olympic team. Mitchell, who swims for the University of Michigan but came home to Carmel to train for the summer, splashed the water in the pool before putting his hands to his face as the accomplishment sunk in.  

RELATED: What’s in the water? 2 Carmel swimmers head to Olympics for the 1st time

Mitchell told NBCSports Tuesday night that he took inspiration from Kibler's performance into his time trial.

"We're such good friends," Mitchell said. "To see him make it, I knew I had to make it as well. I knew I could."

Lilly King - Evansville/Indiana University

Credit: AP
Lilly King reacts after winning the women's 100 breaststroke during wave 2 of the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials on Tuesday, June 15, 2021, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Lilly King clocked the fastest time in the world in the past four years in the 100-meter breaststroke with a time of 1:04.72.  

She is headed back to the Olympics to defend her Rio gold medal in the 100-meter breaststroke. She finished first in the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials and added a second-place finish to Bloomington training partner Annie Lazor in the 200-meter breaststroke on Friday.

Blake Pieroni - Chesterton/Indiana University

Credit: AP
United States' Blake Pieroni starts in his men's 100m freestyle heat at the World Swimming Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, Wednesday, July 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Blake Pieroni made his second Olympic team after bringing medals home from Rio in 2016 while he swam for Indiana University. 

Pieroni and fellow IU grad Zach Apple both made the Tokyo roster in the 100 freestyle. Pieroni, from Chesterton, finished third, gaining him a spot on the relay where he earned a gold medal in Rio. 

Zach Apple - Indiana University 

Credit: AP
Caeleb Dressel hugs Zach Apple after winning the men's 100 freestyle during wave 2 of the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials on Thursday, June 17, 2021, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Zach Apple, who transferred to IU from Auburn, finished second at trials and will swim the event in Tokyo, along with the 4X100 freestyle relay. 

RELATED: 3 IU swimmers clinch spot in Tokyo Olympics

Annie Lazor - Indiana University 

Credit: AP
Annie Lazor after winning the women's 200 breaststroke during wave 2 of the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials on Friday, June 18, 2021, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Annie Lazor, who trains at Indiana University, made it through to the finals with a second-place finish to Lilly King.

It was Lazor's final chance to make this year's team. And at age 26, she's the oldest first-time U.S. Olympian in swimming in 17 years, according to NBC Sports.  

Tennis

Rajeev Ram - Carmel High School

Credit: AP
Rajeev Ram of the United States and Joe Salisbury of Britain return to Kevin Krawietz of Germany and Andreas Mies of Germany during their doubles tennis match at the ATP World Finals tennis tournament at the O2 arena in London, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Carmel High School graduate Rajeev Ram is headed back to the Olympics after winning a silver medal in Rio for mixed doubles, with Venus Williams as his partner.

This year, Ram will play doubles with Frances Tiafoe.

Track and Field

Kara Winger - Purdue University

Credit: AP
Kara Winger competes during the finals of the women's javelin throw at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Three-time Olympic javelin thrower Kara Winger has earned her spot at her fourth Olympic Games. Winger is a Purdue University graduate who was inducted into the university's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018. She was still at Purdue when she qualified for her first Olympic Games in 2008. 

Winger ended up being a three-time Big Ten champion, two-time NCAA All-American and an NCAA runner-up in 2009. 

Rachel Dincoff - Waterloo

Credit: AP
Rachel Dincoff competes during the finals of women's discus throw at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Saturday, June 19, 2021, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Rachel Dincoff, of Waterloo, Indiana, qualified for the Olympics with a clutch throw in the women's discus final at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.

Dincoff struggled in the early rounds but hit 61.63 meters with her fifth throw to move into qualifying position.  

This was an emotional moment for the Auburn University alum who, with this throw, punched her ticket to Tokyo.

She took third place, finishing behind American record holder Valarie Allman and second-place finisher Micaela Hazlewood.

RELATED: Indiana athlete qualifies for Olympics with clutch throw in women's discus final

Lynna Irby - Pike High School

Lynna Irby, a Merrillville native who graduated from Pike High School in 2017 and calls Indianapolis home, finished sixth in the final of the women's 400 meters. Only the top three finishers qualify for the individual race, but her sixth-place finish will almost certainly qualify her for the 4x400 meter relay, where the U.S. typically takes the top six finishers. Official qualifiers for relay teams will not be named until after the trials wrap up June 27.

Irby will also try to qualify in the women's 200 meters. She qualified for the eight-woman final Friday night by .01 seconds. She'll race for an Olympic spot Saturday at 10:24 p.m. EDT.

Yared Nuguse - University of Notre Dame

Yared Nuguse will be running in the 1500 meter race in Tokyo.  

Nuguse finished third in the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials with a time of 3 minutes, 36.19 seconds. He finished just one second behind the first and second-place finishers.

Indiana native Cole Hocker finished first in a personal best 3 minutes, 35.28 seconds he beat reigning Olympic gold medalist Matthew Centrowitz by .06 seconds. 

Cole Hocker - Cathedral High School

Credit: AP Photo/Chris Carlson
Cole Hocker celebrates after winning the final in the men's 1500-meter run at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Sunday, June 27, 2021, in Eugene, Ore.

Cole Hocker, a Cathedral High School graduate who runs for the University of Oregon, will be running in the 1,500 meter race in Tokyo. 

Hocker won the 1,500 meters at the U.S. track and field trials. 

He also won the NCAA title in the event two weeks before the Olympic Trials, besting Notre Dame's Yared Nuguse, who also made Team USA by finishing third at the trials. 

Molly Seidel - University of Notre Dame

Credit: AP/John Amis
Molly Seidel finishes second in the women's U.S. Olympic marathon trials, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Atlanta.

University of Notre Dame graduate Molly Seidel is competing in her first Olympics. 

The 2016 college graduate is competing in the women's marathon.

Seidel finished second in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials with a time of 2:27:31.

Volleyball

Annie Drews - Elkhart

Purdue University's Annie Drews has been on Team USA since 2017. Since then, she's dominated the game. She was named Most Valuable Player at the FIVB Volleyball Nations League, Best Opposite at the FIVB World Cup, and USA Volleyball's Female Indoor Player of the Year.

Wrestling

Sarah Hildebrandt - Granger

Credit: AP
Sarah Hildebrandt of the U.S. celebrates with an American flag after defeating Venezuela's Betzabeth Arguello to win gold in their women's 53kg freestyle wrestling final bout at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Sarah Hildebrandt overpowered Victoria Anthony to qualify for her first Olympic Games. She swept the finals with two wins, 12-2 and 10-0. 

She's been on the U.S. world team three times and earned a number of medals for her dominant performances. 

With this win, Hildebrandt will have the opportunity to represent Granger, Indiana, at the Tokyo Games. 

Kayla Miracle - Culver Academies

Credit: AP
Kayla Miracle of the United States celebrates holding a U.S. national flag after winning gold in the women's 62kg freestyle wrestling final bout at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, Friday, Aug. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Best. Birthday. Ever. The day after Kayla Miracle's 25th birthday, she qualified for her first Olympic Games.

She went to Culver Academies, where she qualified for state through competition against boys. Since then, she's taken home a slew of wins including three consecutive U.S. Open championships.

International Athletes

Chukwuebuka Enekwechi - Purdue University/Nigeria

Purdue track and field alum Chukwuebuka Enekwechi qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in the shot put at the Nigerian Olympic Trials on Saturday, June 19, 2021, in Lagos, Nigeria. 

Enekwechi is currently a volunteer assistant coach with the Boilermakers. He was a 12 time All-American, five-time NCAA medalist and four-time Big Ten champion at Purdue. He also holds four school records. 

During the trials, he won with a season-best throw of 21.47 meters.

Devynne Charlton - Purdue University/Bahamas

Credit: AP
Britany Anderson, left, and Devynne Charlton compete in the women's 100 hurdles during the Sound Running Track Meet on Saturday, May 15, 2021, in Irvine, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Purdue University's Devynne Charlton will be competing in the 100-meter hurdles event in Tokyo. 

Charlton set a new national record for the Bahamas in the women’s 100-meter hurdles on May 9. 

Nikola Aćin - Purdue University/Serbia

Purdue All-American swimmer Nikola Aćin cemented his status as the program's first swimmer to qualify for the Olympic Games since 2004.

Aćin will swim with Serbia's 4x100 freestyle relay team officially ranked among the top 16 in the world.

Aćin anchored Serbia's 4x100 team to a time of 3:13.73 at the European Aquatic Championships, a mark that held up as 15th best internationally through the May 31 cutoff date.

Kaylin Hsieh - University of Notre Dame/ Hong Kong

Kaylin Hsieh will be representing Hong Kong in Tokyo. Kaylin will be competing in both the individual and team events at the Games. 

Kaylin currently fences with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. 

Ewa (Nelip) Trzebinska- University of Notre Dame/ Poland

Former Irish epeeist Ewa (Nelip) Trzebinska qualified for her first Olympics this summer.

She will be competing on the second-ranked women’s epee team in the world heading into Tokyo. Ewa will be representing Poland in both the individual and team epee events. She was the silver medalist in the 2017 World Championships in Leipzig. 

Amita Berthier - University of Notre Dame/ Singapore 

Amita Berthier will be representing Singapore in the individual foil competition. Amita is currently fencing for the Fighting Irish.

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