Meet The NJ Athletes Competing In The 2024 Summer Olympics In Paris

NEW JERSEY — New Jersey's best and brightest. Patch rounded up all the athletes from New Jersey who will be competing in the 2024 Summer Olympic games, held July 26 - Aug. 11 in Paris.

The following men and women are preparing to travel to Paris in less than two weeks for the Summer Games.

What's interesting is that many of these are truly home-grown Garden State athletes: Many started out in clubs and leagues in small towns. Through sheer dedication and hard work, they rose to become international talents.

And now they are ready to compete on the global stage.

Also worth noting is which existing NJ Olympians did not qualify this year: Trenton native and track star Althing Mu fell in an 800-meter race on June 25, which made her unable to qualify. It's particularly heartbreaking because Mu previously won gold for this event at the last summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Another Jersey track star, Nia Ali, from Pleasantville in South Jersey, won silver in the 2016 Rio Olympics in the women's 100-meter hurdles, but also failed to qualify this year.

And equestrian Jessica Springsteen — Bruce Springsteen's daughter (the family lives in Colts Neck) — was also not selected for what would have been her second Olympic run.

Here's who made the cut:

Gymnastics

Hezly Rivera, born in Hackensack, grew up in Oradell in Bergen County. At age 16, this is her first Olympics. Rivera won two silver medals at the 2023 Junior World Championships, but it was completely unexpected when she secured a spot on the 2024 women's Olympic team, where she will compete alongside veterans including four-time gold medalist Simone Biles, 27.

Hezley grew up practicing at ENA Gymnastics in Paramus, but the family moved to Texas two years ago so she could practice more intensively. Her father, Henry Rivera, 44, told the New York Post it all started when he took her to a birthday party at a gymnastics club at age 5 — and people passing by on the street noticed how well she could do cartwheels and flips.

“The coaches approached us,” Henry The Post. “They said, ‘You got to bring her in.’ She made the team on the first audition. That’s very unusual.”

Soccer

Men's soccer: This is the first time men's soccer in the U.S. has qualified for the Olympics since 2008, and two players who grew up in New Jersey made the team. Team USA has never won Olympic gold in men's soccer, always outmatched by better teams from Europe and South America. Team USA men's soccer is about to enter a very competitive arena, and look for these two Jersey guys on the field:

John Tolkin, 21, defense, who grew up in Chatham borough and graduated from Chatham High School. Tolkin launched his professional soccer career through the New York Red Bulls academy, which has been successfully growing professional soccer in New Jersey. Tolkin currently plays as a left defender for the New York Red Bulls and was named a league all-star in 2023.

“It’s an honor and really something you can’t describe," he told NBC Sports on how it feels to qualify for the Olympic team. " I used to watch guys who would do this and wonder what that would feel like. I don’t know how to describe it but I now feel what those guys felt. To come from a really small town, I think not many people will be doing this so I feel really special, honored and grateful.”

Paxten Aaronson, 20, of Medford in South Jersey. He is a mid-fielder. Aaronson spent five years in the Philadelphia Union's youth-development program. He got his start in the professional soccer world playing for the Philadelphia Union, but has since left the U.S. to play on professional soccer teams in Germany and the Netherlands. Aaronson's older brother, Brendan, competed for the U.S. in the 2022 World Cup.

Women's soccer:

Casey Murphy: She's a graduate of Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School and has the position of goalkeeper. She grew up in Bridgewater and also played women's soccer for Rutgers. This is Murphy’s first trip to the Olympics.

Tierna Davidson: Currently plays for New Jersey/New York Gotham Football Club.

Crystal Dunn: Currently plays for New Jersey/New York Gotham Football Club.

Rose Lavelle: Currently plays for New Jersey/New York Gotham Football Club.

Jenna Nighswonger: Currently plays for New Jersey/New York Gotham Football Club. Making her Olympic debut.

Lynn Williams, named as an alternate: Currently plays for New Jersey/New York Gotham Football Club.

Track & Field

Allie Wilson: Originally from Pennsylvania, but a 2019 graduate of Monmouth University, where she ran track. Look for her running the women's 800-meter race.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone: As always, Central Jersey's own Sydney McLaughlin will try to set a new world record in Paris in her signature race, the women's 400-meter hurdles.

McLaughlin, 24, was born in New Brunswick and grew up in Dunellen. She graduated from Union Catholic High School in Scotch Plains in 2017, and that's where she first rose to worldwide fame in sprinting and hurdles.

McLaughlin won her first Olympic gold medals at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo; she won two gold medals that year, a sweet comeback victory after she failed to place in her first Olympics, 2016 in Rio.

The 400-meter hurdle is the race McLaughlin is famous for, and she previously set a new world record for it in June at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic team trials, where she ran the race in 50.65 seconds.

In the years since her first Olympic gold win, McLaughlin married to NFL player Andre Levrone Jr.; the couple lives out of state. Local fans often gather to watch McLaughlin-Levrone race, and viewing parties are often held in Dunellen, Mountainside and on the Union Catholic campus. Expect local watch parties to spring up in August to see Syndey run in Paris.

Keturah Orji 28, was born in Hoboken and graduated from Mount Olive High School in Morris County in 2014.

This summer will be her third trip to the Olympic games. She competes in the triple jump event, for which she holds the American record for.

She represented the United States at the 2016 Rio Games and during the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo. However, she has never won an Olympic medal in her event, the triple jump. Orji recently announced she will retire after the Paris Olympics.

"Thankful for everything God has given me," Orji said on her Instagram, adding the hashtag #OneLastTime.

Sam Mattis: Mattis, 30, graduated from East Brunswick High School in 2012 and this is his second time competing in the Olympics. Mattis throws discus, and while in college at the University of Pennsylvania he was the 2015 NCAA national champion in discus throw.

Mattis turned down a lucrative job offer from JPMorgan Chase to pursue his Olympic dream.

Curtis Thompson: 28 and from Florence, NJ. He will compete in the javelin. This is his second Olympics; he competed in Tokyo in 2020.

Swimming

Nic Fink: 30, grew up in Morristown, attended The Pingry School. This well-known New Jersey Olympian is preparing to head to his second Olympic Games. Fink swims breaststroke and is a six-time World Championship gold medalist in the breaststroke.

He finished fifth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 200-meter breaststroke, just 0.8 seconds short of the bronze medalist's time.

Fink is expecting his first child with his wife and the couple is an Olympic duo: His wife Melanie Margalis Fink was part of the gold medal-winning American team in the women's freestyle in the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Fink went to the University of Georgia, where he had several scoring appearances in the NCAA Championships with the Bulldogs.

Matt Fallon: Another outstanding American competitor in breaststroke. 21 years old and grew up in Warren Township and is the American record holder for the 200-meter breaststroke.

Jack Alexy: This 21-year-old grew up in Mendham and is a graduate of Delbarton School in Morristown. Alexy swims the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle sprints. He qualified in June for the Olympic swim team in the 100-meter freestyle race; his is his first Olympics. Alexy's grandfather, William Ebben, once played basketball for the NBA's Detroit Pistons.

Triathalon

Morgan Pearson, 30. He grew up in Spring Lake, where he grew up as a competitive swimmer, Jersey Shore ocean lifeguard and promising high school runner at Delbarton School. The family then moved to New Vernon, NJ in western Morris County. He ran cross-country and track & field at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he was a seven-time All-American. This is his second Olympics; he competed in Tokyo in 2021, where he won silver. He currently lives in Colorado.

Judo

Jack Yonezuka, 21, of West Long Branch is making his Olympic debut in judo. He is a 2021 graduate of Shore Regional High School and currently enrolled at Brookdale Community College in Monmouth County. He is also the son of 1980 Olympian Nick Yonezuka and the grandson of two-time Olympic coach Yoshisada Yonezuka.

Fencing

Mitchell Saron, 23, grew up in Ridgewood, graduated from Harvard in 2023, will compete in men's saber

Jackie Dubrovich, 29, grew up in Riverdale, graduated from Columbia, will compete in women's fencing. Began fencing at age 8 because it was a sport that worked for her "awkwardly lanky self," according to her Team USA profile.

Elizabeth Tartakovsky, 24, of Livingston, will compete in women's fencing. Also graduate from Harvard.

Laura Decker: 34, from Bridgewater and was selected as a fencing referee. Decker graduated from Bridgewater-Raritan High School in 2007 and Caltech in 2011. She will be the only fencing referee there from the United States of America.

She was also the lone American referee at the 2022 Junior and Cadet Worlds in Dubai, the 2022 Senior Worlds in Egypt, the 2023 Junior and Cadet Worlds in Bulgaria and the 2023 Senior Worlds in Italy, according to USA Fencing.

"I’m proud of the work I've done over the past several years and incredibly honored to be selected to referee at the highest level of this sport," Decker said in an interview with USA Fencing. "Refereeing is demanding and often stressful, but I find it so fulfilling to contribute to the sport I love."

Men's basketball

Bam Adebayo, 26, from Newark, this is his second Olympics, he already won gold in the 2020 Olympics. He was born in Newark, but raised in North Carolina. He played for the Kentucky Wildcats and currently plays for the Miami Heat. He is a three-time NBA All-Star.

Field Hockey

Amanda Golini, 29, grew up in Randolph and graduated from Randolph High School and then Lafayette College in 2017. She is captain of the USA women's field hockey team. As a child, she played competitive softball and did not switch to field hockey until her freshman year at Randolph High School.

Rowing

Molly Reckford, 31, grew up in Short Hills and graduated from Dartmouth College in 2015. Look for her on the women's lightweight double sculls team. This is her second Olympics; she competed in Tokyo in 2020.

Alexander Hedge: Raised in Morristown and graduated from Morristown High School. He started his rowing career at RowNJ in Lake Hopatcong. He rowed for Columbia University. He will compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics as an alternate.

Kelsey Reelick, Claire Collins and other female rowers headed to the Olympics trained on Lake Carnegie at Princeton University.

Sports Climbing

Jesse Grupper, 27, grew up in Upper Montclair. Member of the American Men's Bouldering & Lead Combined team. He started climbing at the age of six and began competing in climbing events at age 9. Graduated from Tufts Univiersity.

Table Tennis

Amy Wang, 21, grew up in Sewell, NJ. Started playing ping pong at age 4 and trained by her father, who used to play table tennis professionally.

Wrestling

Helen Maroulis: She grew up in Maryland but moved to Hoboken in 2018. When she's not training for international wrestling competitions, Maroulis, 32, loves exploring Hoboken's coffee shops and waterfront cafes, she said in this 2018 interview with HobokenGirl.

"Since moving to NJ, the longest I’ve been in one place without going somewhere for wrestling is three weeks. Most times I’m cramming trainings, recovery and friends/family in that time so I haven’t done much shopping in Hoboken — so I’m all open to recommendations!" she told the local blog. "I like being right outside of the city. The city is at your fingertips but you get a more chill pace in Hoboken and Jersey City. I really enjoy this location."

Know of a New Jersey Olympic athlete we missed? [email protected]