July 26, 2012
NORFOLK, Va. – Four former Old Dominion University athletic standouts and one current student-athlete are set to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games in London beginning on Friday. Old Dominion’s five athletes are the most of any CAA school represented in London.
Anna Tunnicliffe and Debbie Capozzi will be participating for the United States sailing team in match racing. Caroline Nichols will be a member of the U.S. field hockey team for the second time. 2011-12 CAA Swimmer of the Year Arni Arnason will be competing in the 50 freestyle for Iceland, while sophomore Sidni Hoxha will be swimming the 100 freestyle for Albania.
Tunnicliffe won the gold medal for the United States in the Women’s Laser Radial in Beijing in 2008 and will be competing in match racing this year in London. Capozzi, her former ODU teammate joins her in a quest to medal for the U.S. as match racing round robin action begins on July 29 – Aug. 4. Quarterfinals are set for Aug. 7-8 while Sail-Offs are slated for Aug. 9 and Semifinals on Aug. 10. The finals will take place on Aug. 10 with all action taking place in Weymouth.
Nichols, who was also a defender on the 2008 team that placed eighth in Beijing, will help lead the United States against Germany in their opener at 4:15 p.m. (ET) on July 29 while also facing off against Argentina on July 31 (2:00 p.m. ET), Australia on Aug. 2 (5:45 a.m. ET), New Zealand on Aug. 4 (2:00 p.m. ET) and South Africa on Aug. 6 (5:45 a.m. ET). The medal round will be played on Friday, Aug. 10. All games will take place at the Riverbank Arena in Olympic Park.
Arnason, who swam the 50-meter freestyle for Iceland in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, begins 50-meter freestyle heats at 5:00 a.m. (ET) on Aug. 2 with the finals slated for 3:10 p.m. (ET) on Aug. 3.
Hoxha, who took part in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing for Albania in the 50-meter freestyle, will take part in the 100-meter freestyle heats beginning on July 31 at 5:00 a.m. (ET) with the finals scheduled for 3:15 p.m. (ET) on Aug. 1. All events will take place at the Aquatics Centre in Olympic Park.
Updates on all five athletes will be available throughout the Olympics at ODUSports.com and live results can be found at London2012.com.