Rice athletes make their mark upon the centennial Olympics
Rice University, and in particular its strong track and field program, produced
seven Olympians in 1996, including its first female medalist. Five alumni and
two undergraduates competed for four countries in seven events in Atlanta.
Heather McDermid, a former Rice University track athlete, became Rice's first female Olympic medalist, and Rice's first silver medalist, as a member of the Canadian women's eight with coxswain team.
The Canadian women's eight, with McDermid in the bow, finished five seconds behind the Romanian squad. The Canadian team utilized a late push to pass the fourth place Americans and the Belarussian bronze medalists.
A 1990 graduate, her career at Rice included all-American status in 1989 and 1990, and Rice women's track MVP in 1990. She continues to hold Rice's 800-meter record.
She was a strong contender for the 1992 Canadian Olympic track and field team when a stress fracture to her ankle forced her to leave the sport.
Bryan Bronson ran the 400 meters for the United States, advancing from his preliminary heat to the semifinals, where he ran over a second slower than his preliminary time and failed to make the finals.
Bronson was an All-American in 1992 and 1993, winning an NCAA championship in the 400 meters in 1993. Bronson plans to complete the final six credit hours for his degree this year.
Rosey Edeh is Rice's first three-time Olympian. She finished sixth in the world in the women's 400 meter hurdles at the centennial Olympics, setting a new Canadian record of 54.39 seconds. The new record was actually an improvement over Edeh's own mark.
A 1990 graduate, she lost in the preliminary heat in 1988 in Seoul in the 400-meter hurdles. In Barcelona in 1992, she participated in the semifinal round in the 400-meter hurdles and was a member of Canada's 4x 400-meter relay team, which finished fourth.
Cherita Howard, entering her senior year at Rice, was scheduled to compete in the long jump for Barbados. However, an injury immediately before the Atlanta Olympics forced her to withdraw. Howard participates in the long jump and the triple jump for Rice. She set the Rice record for the long jump in 1996.
Adam Setliff, who left Rice in 1991, competed for the United States in discus, finishing 12th in the finals.
In 1995, he had the 10th best throw in the world. Setliff came to Rice in 1988, but became truly successful after leaving the school to compete on his own. He plans to complete his requirements for a Rice degree in English next year.
Melissa Straker followed a path similar to Cherita Howard. Also entering her senior year at Rice, she attended the same high school in Barbados. They share the same major.
Straker ran for Barbados in the 400 meters. She finished sixth in her preliminary heat.
Sean Wade competed for his native New Zealand in the marathon, finishing 83rd in the field of 124 runners.
Wade was among the leaders in the early portion of the race, but a quadricep injury suffered before the Olympics hampered his performance.
While the Rice athletes in Atlanta represented the largest contingent in school history, Rice has been represented as far back as 1928, when Claude Bracey competed for the United States in the 100-yard race.
This item appeared in the Sports section of the August 30, 1996 issue.
Copyright © 1996 The Rice Thresher. All Rights
Reserved.
This document may be distributed
electronically, provided that it is distributed in its
entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted
without the express written permission of:
The Rice Thresher, Rice University, 6100 Main, Houston, TX 77005-1892, USA.
The Thresher Online Project -- ethresh@listserv.rice.edu