Penn alum Regina Salmons chosen for USRowing Olympic Team

USRowing recently announced the athletes that would be competing for them at this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. Included in that list is Penn alumna Regina Salmons, who will be competing in the Women’s Eight.

Salmons, who graduated in 2018, will become just the 15th Penn women’s rowing member to ever compete in the Olympic Games as well as the third Penn women’s rowing member to participate in the Olympics since the turn of the new millennium. 

The most recent Penn rower to compete in the Olympics, male or female, was Susan Francia, who won gold medals in both 2008 and 2012 in the Women’s Eight.

All other Ivy League schools will be represented within USRowing, as there are 18 total athletes from the Ivy League attending the Games. Within her boat, Salmons will be joined by Charlotte Buck from Columbia and Olivia Coffey from Harvard.

While at Penn, Salmons earned a number of prestigious awards, including first team All-Ivy and Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) All-Conference for her performance during her senior year. That same season, she was selected to be a senior captain for the team and also helped lead Penn’s Varsity Eight to third place at the Ivy League Championship. Additionally, Salmons was a two-time CRCA Scholar Athlete Award recipient (2017 and 2018) and became a second team CRCA All-Region pick for her sophomore year performance.

"I couldn't be prouder of Regina for earning her seat in the Olympic Eight and representing the United States," Penn's head women's rowing coach Wesley Ng said via Penn Athletics. "With this Olympiad being extended by a full year due to the pandemic, I can only imagine how grueling and competitive this selection process was. I am in awe of all the rowers who continued to pursue their Olympic dream.

"I'm sure right now Regina is focused on preparation, improvement and working toward a peak performance next month in Tokyo, but I hope she knows how much of an inspiration she is to her friends, her teammates, and her fellow athletes at Penn. So many of us are so proud of her accomplishment, and I know that I can't wait to watch her races and cheer her on!"

Salmons is also no stranger to the USRowing program. She took home a gold medal in the pair at the 2018 World Rowing Under 23 Championships as well as a gold in both the four and eight at the 2016 World Rowing Under 23 Championships. Furthermore, Salmons competed in the U.S. four at the 2019 World Rowing Cup II that had a fifth-place finish and she also served as an alternate at the 2019 World Rowing Championships.

Salmons will begin her Olympic journey during the first half of the Games, as rowing is scheduled to take place from July 23-30. The Games themselves will take place from July 21-August 8.