Olympic Owls

Lennie Waite

TWO FORMER RICE ATHLETES ARE headed to Rio for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Lennie Waite ’09 will compete in the grueling 3,000-meter steeplechase, representing Great Britain. Waite, a native of Scotland, secured her spot at the British Championships in late June after running a personal best earlier that month in Portland. Waite, who has a Ph.D. in sport psychology, has maintained an active blog (lenniewaite.com) about her racing life — especially her “not always smooth and ideal” journey to the Olympics. At Rice, Waite won two C-USA indoor titles (mile and 3,000 meter) and received the Joyce Pounds Hardy Award, the highest honor for female athletes. Former volleyball star Olaya Pazo ’06 will represent her home country, Venezuela, in beach volleyball. At Rice, Pazo was named most outstanding player and led the volleyball team to an NCAA tournament. After graduation, she played professionally in European leagues as well as on the Venezuelan national team for three years, teaming up with twin sister Rebeca Pazo ’05, also a former Rice volleyball player. The competition will take place on Copacabana Beach.

Olaya Pazo