WCW #10: The Women of Team USA

The last few weeks have been fabulous for women! First Ghostbusters, and next HRC receiving the nomination for President at the DNC and then Bad Moms. At the end of this week, the Olympics will begin in Rio! 

The Olympics are the highlight of my summer every 4 years- Swimming and Gymnastics are my jam- to say I'm excited would saying the least! I live for Michael Phelps and I cannot wait to see his swan song!

Visit NBCOlympics.com to meet Team USA!

So this week's Woman Crush Wednesday are the women of Team USA! So buckle up and see this incredible roster of crazily strong athletes that just so happen to be badass women!

Get acquainted with athletes like Laurie Hernandez, the fresh-faced "human emoji" heading into her first Olympic Games with the women's U.S. gymnastics team, along with the most dominant gymnast of the past four years, Simone Biles and after winning the first women's Olympic gold medal in boxing for the U.S. in 2012, Claressa Shield is back for more, and ready to repeat in Rio. - Excerpt from NBCOlympics.com

Meet the amazing women of Team USA:

Archery:
Mackenzie Brown

Badminton:
Iris Wang, Women's Singles
Eva Lee and Paula Lynn Obanana, Women's Doubles
Jamie Subandhi, Mixed Doubles

Basketball:
Seimone Augustus, Sue Bird, Tamika Catchings, Tina Charles, Elena Delle Donne, Sylvia Fowles, Brittney Grinet, Angel McCoughtry, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurus, Lindsay Whalen

Beach Volleyball:
Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross, Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Sweat

Boxing:
Mikaela Mayer, Claressa Shields

Cycling:
Track:
Kelly Catlin: Women's team pursuit
Chole Dygert: Women's team pursuit
Sarah Hammer: Women's omnium, team pursuit
Jennifer Valente: Women's team pursuit
Ruth Winder: Women's team pursuit
Road:
Mara Abbott, Kristin Armstrong, Megan Garner, Evelyn Stevens
BMX:
Alise Post, Brooke Crain
Mountain Bike:
Lea Davison, Chloe Woodruff

Diving:
Women's synchronized 10m platform divers: Amy Cozad, Jessica Parratto
Women's 10m platform divers: Jessica Parratto, Katrina Young
Women's 3m springboard divers: Kassidy Cook, Abby Johnston

Equestrian:
Dressage:
Laura Graves, Allison Brock, Kasey Perry-Glass
Eventing:
Lauren Kieffer
Show jumping:
Lucy Davis, Beezie Madden

Fencing:
Women's Foil:
Lee Kiefer, Nzingha Prescod
Women's Sabre:
Mariel Zagunis, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Dagmara Wozniak, Monica Aksamit
Women's Epee:
Kelley Hurley, Courtney Hurley, Kat Holmes, Katarzyna Trzopek

Field Hockey:

Jackie Briggs, Lauren Crandall, Stefanie Fee, Julia Reinprecht, Rachel Dawson, Alyssa Manley, Caitlin Van Sickle, Katelyn Falgowski, Melissa Gonzalez, Katie Reinprecht, Michelle Vittese, Michelle Kasold, Katie Bam, Jill Witmer, Kat Sharkey, Kelsey Kolojejchick

Golf:
Lexi Thompson, Stacy Lewis, Gerina Piller

Gymnastics:
Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Madison Kocian, Laurie Hernandez, Aly Raisman

Judo:
Angelica Delgado, Marti Malloy, Kayla Harrison

Modern Pentathlon:
Isabella Isaksen, Margaux Isaksen

Rhythmic Gymnastics:
Individual: Laura Zeng
Alternate: Camilla Feeley
Five-person group: Alisa Kano, Natalie McGiffert, Monica Rokhamm, Kiana Eide and Kristen Shaldybin
Alternate: Jennifer Rokhamm, Monica's twin sister

Rowing:
Women's single sculls: Gevvie Stone
Women's double sculls: Ellen Tomek and Meghan O'Leary
Lightweight women's double sculls: Kate Bertko and Devery Karz
Women's pair: Grace Luczak and Felice Mueller
Women's quadruple sculls: Adrienne Martelli, Grace Latz, Tracy Eisser and Megan Kalmoe
Women's eight: Coxswain Katelin Synder, Eleanor Logan, Amanda Elmore, Tessa Gobbo, Meghan Musnicki, Emily Regan, Lauren Schmetterling, Amanda Polk, and Kerry Simmonds.

Rugby:
Bui Baravilala, Ryan Carlyle, Lauren Doyle, Joanne Fa'avesi, Carmen Farmer, Victoria Folayan, Kelly Griffin, Jessica Javelet, Kathryn Javelet, Kathryn Johnson, Alev Kelter, Jillion Potter, Richelle Stephens

Sailing:
Women's RS:X (windsurfer): Marion Lepert
Laser Radial (one-person dinghy): Paige Railey
Mixed Nacra 17 (two-person multihull): Louisa Chafee and Bora Gulari
49erFX (two-person skiff): Paris Henken and Helena Scutt
Women's 470 (two-person dinghy): Annie Haeger and Briana Provancha

Shooting:
Lydia Paterson: 10m air pistol
Enkelejda Shehaj: 10m air pistol, 25 m pistol
Virginia Thrasher: 10m air rifle, 50m rifle three positions
Sarah Scherer: 10m air rifle, 50m rifle three positions
Morgan Craft: skeet
Kim Rhode: skeet

Soccer:
Hope Solo, Alyssa Naeher, Kelley O'Hara, Julie Johnson, Becky Sauerbrunn, Meghan Klingenberg, Ali Krieger, Whitney Engen, Carli Lloyd, Tobin Heath, Morgan Brian, Lindset Horan, Allie Long, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Christen Press, Crystal Dunn, Mallory Pugh

Swimming:

Women's 400m IM: Maya DiRado, Elizabeth Beisel

Women's 100m Butterfly: Dana Vollmer, Kelsi Worrell

Women's 400m Freestyle: Katie Ledecky, Leah Smith

Women's 100m Backstroke: Olivia Smoliga, Kathleen Baker

Women's 100m Breaststroke: Lilly King, Katie Meili

Women's 200m Freestyle: Katie Ledecky, Missy Franklin; relay only: Leah Smith, Allison Schmitt, Cierra Runge, Melanie Margalis

Women's 200m IM: Maya DiRado, Melanie Margalis

Women's 200m Breaststroke: Lilly King, Molly Hannis

Women's 100m Freestyle: Abby Weitzeil, Simone Manuel; relay only: Amanda Weird, Lia Neal, Leah Smith, Dana Vollmer

Women's 200m Backstroke: Maya DiRado, Missy Franklin

Women's 800m Freestyle: Katie Ledecky, Leah Smith

Women's 50m Freestyle: Abby Weitzeil, Simone Manuel

10k Open Water Event: Haley Anderson

Synchronized swimming:

Mariya Koroleva and Anita Alvarez

Table Tennis:

Wu Yue, Lily Zhang, and Jiaqi Zheng

Taekwondo:

Paige McPherson, Jackie Galloway

Tennis:

Individuals: Serena Williams (also doubles), Venus Williams (also doubles), Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens

Doubles: Bethanie Mattek- Sands, Coco Vandeweghe 

Track and Field:

100m: Tianna Bartoletta, Tori Bowie, English Gardner
4x100m: Morolake Akinosun, Tianna Bartoletta, Tori Bowie, English Gardner, Jenna Prandini, Ariana Washington
200m: Tori Bowie, Jenna Prandini, Deajah Stevens
400m: Allyson Felix, Phyllis Francis, Natasha Hastings
4x400m: Taylor Ellis-Watson, Allyson Felix, Phyllis Francis, Natasha Hastings, Francena McCorory, Courtney Okolo
800m: Kate Grace, Chrishuna Williams, Ajee’ Wilson
1500m: Brenda Martinez, Shannon Rowbury, Jenny Simpson
3000m steeplechase: Emma Coburn, Courtney Frerichs, Colleen Quigley
5000m: Kim Conley, Abbey D’Agostino, Shelby Houlihan
10,000m: Marielle Hall, Molly Huddle, Emily Infeld 
20km race walk: Miranda Melville, Maria Michta-Coffey
Marathon: Amy Cragg, Shalane Flanagan, Desi Linden  
100m hurdles: Nia Ali, Kristi Castlin, Brianna Rollins
400m hurdles: Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad, Ashley Spencer
Heptathlon: Heather Miller-Koch, Barbara Nwaba, Kendell Williams
Discus throw: Whitney Ashley, Kelsey Card, Shelbi Vaughan
Hammer throw: Gwen Berry, Amber Campbell, DeAnna Price
High jump: Vashti Cunningham, Chaunte Lowe, Inika McPherson
Javelin throw: Brittany Borman, Maggie Malone, Kara Winger
Long jump: Tianna Bartoletta, Janay DeLoach, Brittney Reese
Pole vault: Sandi Morris, Jenn Suhr, Lexi Weeks​
Shot put: Michelle Carter, Felisha Johnson, Raven Saunders​
Triple jump: Christina Epps, Andrea Geubelle, Keturah Orji

Trampoline:

Nicole Ahsinger

Triathlon:

Gwen Jorgensen, Sarah True, Katie Zaferes

Volleyball:

Rachael Adams, Foluke Akinradewo, Christa Harmotto Dietzen, Jordan Larson Burbach, Kim Hill, Kelsey Robinson, Kartsta Lowe, Kelly Murphy, Courtney Thompson, Alisha Glass, Carli Lloyd, Kayla Banwarth

Water polo:

Sami Hill

Maddie Musselman, Melissa Seidemann, Rachel Fattal, KK Clark, Courtney Mathewson, Kiley Neushul, Aria Fischer, Kaleigh Gilchrist, Makenzie Fischer, Kami Craig, Ashleigh Johnson and Maggie Steffens, team captain

Weightlifting:

Jenny Arthur, Morghan King,Sarah Robles

Wrestling:

Haley Augello, Helen Maroulis, Elena Pirozhkova, Adeline Gray

These stories and more are sure to thrill this summer at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.  Beginning August 5, catch all the Olympic action on the networks of NBCUniversal, stream events live on NBCOlympics.com, and download the NBC Sports app. 

Go Team USA!

xo,

KJB