Utah Utes Competing In Tokyo Summer Olympic Games

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The University of Utah Utes will be well represented at the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games.

Nine athletes that have either competed or still compete for the Utah Utes will be in Tokyo and will face the best in the world on the biggest stage in the Summer Olympic Games.

Here are all of the current and former Utes that will be competing in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games.

Jake Gibb, Beach Volleyball

Gibb will be making his fourth appearance in the Summer Games. The first time he qualified was in 2008. Gibb and his partner Taylor Crabb have been playing together since 2017 and are ranked No. 8 in the world in beach volleyball. He reached the quarterfinals in his first Olympics, before a 5th place finish in 2012. After he won the FIVB tour after the 2012 Olympics, Gibb switched partners ahead of the 2016 games.

Schedule:

• Gibb/Crabb vs. Carambula/Rossi (Italy), Sunday, July 25 at 7 a.m. MDT
• Gibb/Crabb vs. Heidrich/Gerson (Switzerland), Tuesday, July 27 at 6 p.m. MDT
• Gibb/Crabb vs. Cherif/Ahmed (QAT), Friday, July 30 at 7 a.m. MDT

Hannah Flippen, Softball

Flippen was a three-time NFCA All-American and Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2016. She was named to the 18-player roster for the United States Softball Team for the Tokyo Olympics in 2019 before the games were postponed due to COVID-19. Flippen will be an alternate for the USA Softball Team. She is the all-time leader in runs, hits and batting average in Utah softball history.

Schedule:

• USA vs. Italy, Tuesday, July 20 at 9 p.m. MDT
• USA vs. Canada, Wednesday, July 21 at 6 p.m. MDT
• USA vs. Mexico, Friday, July 23 at 11:30 p.m. MDT
• USA vs. Australia, Saturday, July 24 at 7 p.m. MDT
• USA vs. Japan, Sunday, July 25 at 7 p.m. MDT

Anissa Urtez, Mexico

Anissa Urtez is a in-fielder for the Mexico Softball team. She was a member of the Mexican National Team in 2016 when she was a senior for the Utes. The Long Beach, California native played three seasons for the Utes from 2014-16.

Schedule: 

• Mexico vs. Canada, Wednesday, July 21 at 12 a.m. MDT
• Mexico vs. Japan, Wednesday, July 21 at 9 p.m. MDT
• Mexico vs. USA, Friday, July 23 at 11:30 p.m. MDT
• Mexico vs. Italy, Sunday, July 25 at 5 a.m. MDT
• Mexico vs. Australia, Monday, July 26 at 5 a.m. MDT

Alexis Lagan, Pistol Shooting/Air Pistol

Lagan comes from a family with a background in both police work and the military. She competed a little bit growing up but didn’t truly get competitive until she went to the University of Utah in 2011. When she was a freshman at Utah, Lagan’s father was a firearms training officer with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

During Lagan’s senior year, she was the national champion in women’s air pistol. She is the first Olympian from Boulder City, Nevada and the first Olympic Marksman from the University of Utah.

Schedule: 

• Air Pistol 10m Women’s Finals: Saturday, July 24 at 8:15 p.m. MDT

Yes!! Loving it!!

For reference this is a 395/400 🥰 I love sport pistol!#TeamLagan #TeamUSA #Tokyo2020 #2020Vision @usashooting @teamusa  #tensfordays #issf #WeAreTeamUSA #TokyoOlympics #sportpistol @ USA Shooting https://t.co/fKSxs3i56W

— Alexis Lagan (@Lagan1515) July 8, 2021

Leilani Mitchell, Women’s Basketball

Mitchell is a long time WNBA player that had a tremendous career at Utah. She joined the Utes as a transfer following three years at Idaho. Her father is American and her mother is Australian so Leilani will be playing for the Australian National Team. Mitchell was the Mountain West Player of the Year after the 2007-08 season. She played for the New York Liberty in the WNBA where she earned Most Improved Player in 2010.

Australia is in Group C and will play each team in their group before the tournament starts.

Schedule:

• Australia vs. Belgium, Tuesday, July 27 at 2:20 a.m. MDT
• Australia vs. China, Friday, July 30 at 6 a.m. MDT
• Australia vs. Puerto Rico, Monday, Aug. 2 at 6 a.m. MDT

#ICYMI both the Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams are en route to Las Vegas for final preparations before #tokyo2020

🌟 Full squad lists 👇 pic.twitter.com/gk39REwxzM

— Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) July 5, 2021

Kim (Smith) Gaucher, Women’s Basketball

Smith (Gaucher) is a legend in Utah women’s basketball. She has her No. 4 retired in the rafters at the Jon M. Huntsman Center and was the first female to have her number retired at Utah. Gaucher was Mountain West Player of the Year from 2003-06. She currently plays professionally in France but will be playing with the Canadian National Team in Tokyo.

Gaucher has a long history of playing for Canada in the FIBA AmeriCup games, winning two Bronze, one Silver and a Gold. She also won gold at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.

Canada will be in Group A and will play each team in their group before the tournament starts.

Schedule: 

• Canada vs. Serbia, Monday, July 26 at 2:20 a.m. MDT
• Canada vs. Korea, Wednesday, July 28 at 7 p.m. MDT
• Canada vs. Spain, Saturday, July 31 at 7 p.m. MDT

One of the greatest players Canada has ever produced is facing one of the most difficult decisions of her life.@michaelgrange on Kim Gaucher's choice between her longest loves — basketball and country — and her newest, deepest one, her daughter Sophie:https://t.co/ucXjXn6RNx

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 9, 2021

MyKayla Skinner, Gymnastics

Skinner is considered one of the best gymnasts in Utah history. She was an alternate for Team USA in 2016 before making the squad in 2020. Before her senior season, Skinner put her college career on hold so that she could focus on making the USA team. While with the Red Rocks, Skinner won a pair of NCAA titles.

Schedule:

• USA Subdivision: Sunday, July 25 at 12:10 a.m. MDT
• Team Final: Tuesday, July 27 at 4:45 a.m. MDT
• All-Around Final: Thursday, July 29 at 4:50 a.m. MDT
• Vault/Bars Final: Sunday, August 1 at 2 a.m. MDT
• Floor Final: Monday, August 2 at 2 a.m. MDT
• Beam Final: Tuesday, August 3 at 2 a.m. MDT

Myk gonna stick. 💯@mykaylaskinner x #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/ibkZEPwchw

— Team USA (@TeamUSA) July 7, 2021

Grace McCullum, Gymnastics

McCullum has a long resume already and she hasn’t even competed for the Utes yet. The Isanti, Minnesota native is a five-time member of the United States Women’s National Gymnastics Team. She is the 2018 Pan American individual all-around and uneven bars champion, along with a 2018 Pacific Rim all-around title. McCullum committed to the Red Rocks.

Schedule:

• USA Subdivision: Sunday, July 25 at 12:10 a.m. MDT
• Team Final: Tuesday, July 27 at 4:45 a.m. MDT
• All-Around Final: Thursday, July 29 at 4:50 a.m. MDT
• Vault/Bars Final: Sunday, August 1 at 2 a.m. MDT
• Floor Final: Monday, August 2 at 2 a.m. MDT
• Beam Final: Tuesday, August 3 at 2 a.m. MDT

Kara Eaker, Gymnastics

Eaker is an alternate for Team USA. In the case of a major illness or injury to any of the six primary athletes prior to the Olympic Games, she could be called upon.

Schedule:

• USA Subdivision: Sunday, July 25 at 12:10 a.m. MDT
• Team Final: Tuesday, July 27 at 4:45 a.m. MDT
• All-Around Final: Thursday, July 29 at 4:50 a.m. MDT
• Vault/Bars Final: Sunday, August 1 at 2 a.m. MDT
• Floor Final: Monday, August 2 at 2 a.m. MDT
• Beam Final: Tuesday, August 3 at 2 a.m. MDT

The Tokyo Olympics begin on July 23, 2021. Click here for KSL Sports’ exclusive coverage of the Games.

Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports. You can download and listen to the podcast, here.

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