May 6, 2008

VILLANOVA, Pa. - Villanova's rich history and tradition of Olympians will continue in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Since the 1948 London Games, at least one Villanovan has competed in at least one event at the Summer Olympiad. In the 2008 Games, Villanova will have representation from two former athletes.

Adrian Blincoe graduated from Villanova in 2003 and is currently an assistant coach on the men's track and field team. He has qualified to the Olympics in the 5,000m for New Zealand. This is Blincoe's first Olympic Games, having competed in two track and field world championships. While at Villanova, Blincoe won three NCAA titles and earned seven All-American honors. He is the school record holder in the 3,000m and a member of the school record indoor distance medley relay team. His personal best in the 5,000m is 13:17.28.

"I am excited at the opportunity to compete in the Olympics," Blincoe said. "I missed running the Athens Games by 0.3 of a second, so that has made me even more determined. This has been a goal of mine since I first started training and have thought about running in the Olympics thousands of times in the past 10 years. I want to do well in Beijing; I am not just going to make up the numbers. All of my training is geared towards being ready to run the best races of my life."

Kristina Lennox has qualified to swim for the Puerto Rico Olympic Team in Beijing. Lennox graduated from Villanova in 2007 after earning MVP for the season. She also won a BIG EAST title in the 200m fly. Lennox qualified to represent Puerto Rico after racing in a FINA sanctioned meet. She will race in the 400m free and 200m fly and is currently training at the highest intensity. Lennox's younger brother Doug will also be swimming in the Olympics for Puerto Rico.

"I got involved through my younger brother, Doug," Lennox said. "He contacted the Puerto Rican Federation about representing the island. Once he established himself, I was contacted by Puerto Rico to participate on the national team as well. As of right now there are four swimmers currently slated to represent Puerto Rico in Beijing. I will be training throughout the summer for the Olympics. I will also attend the national meet in Puerto Rico in the beginning of June and August 1 we begin our team trip to Beijing."

In school history, Villanova has produced 48 Olympians. Previous athletes have combined to garner nine gold medals and four silver medals.