{"id":379,"date":"2008-09-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2008-09-23T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pressreleases.uccs.edu\/?p=379"},"modified":"2008-09-23T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2008-09-23T07:00:00","slug":"olympic-athletes-lead-lives-as-scholars-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pressreleases.uccs.edu\/?p=379","title":{"rendered":"OLYMPIC ATHLETES LEAD LIVES AS SCHOLARS, TOO"},"content":{"rendered":"

An alumnus and a currently enrolled student at UCCS returned from the 2008 Summer Olympic Games bearing medals.<\/p>\n

Matt Emmons, who earned a master of business administration degree in 2006, earned the silver medal in the men\u2019s 50 meter three-position rifle competition. Emmons, a 27-year-old New Jersey native who now calls Colorado Springs home, earned a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics and was an honored guest at a meeting of the CU Board of Regents. He later appeared in a testimonial for the UCCS College of Business.<\/p>\n

Adam Wheeler, 27, is a student in the School of Public Affairs. He enrolled at UCCS this summer and hopes to pursue a master\u2019s degree in public administration. Wheeler is also a recruit for the Colorado Springs Police Department.<\/p>\n

Wheeler earned a bronze medal in the 96-kilogram class of Greco Roman wrestling, his first. The Lancaster, Calif.-native spent five years in the U.S. Coast Guard and has spent years perfecting his wrestling technique.<\/p>\n

\u201cColorado Springs and its research university are honored to be represented in world-class competition,\u201d UCCS Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak said. \u201cI congratulate Matt and Adam as well as their teammates for their efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emmons and Wheeler were joined by 10 other students who combine life as Olympians with that of a college student. The State of Colorado provides Olympic athletes who train in Colorado Springs with in-state tuition rates at UCCS. Each year, approximately 30 Olympic hopefuls enroll.<\/p>\n

Members of the 2008 U.S. Summer Olympic Team who have attended UCCS since 2005, their sports and hometowns are:<\/p>\n