Several EIU alumni have connections to 2012 Olympic athletes. Here's a partial list.
• While at the University of Oregon, Dan Steele '92 coached two current Olympians — U.S. decathlete (and world-record holder) Ashton Eaton and Canadian heptathlete Brianne Theisen. Steele, an EIU Hall of Fame track athlete, won a bronze medal in the bobsled in the 2002 Olympics.
• Former Panther basketball player Chris Herrera '03 is the strength and conditioning coach and physical therapist for the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team.
• Champaign native Tyler McGill — a brother of EIU's head swim coach, Elliott McGill '09 — helped the U.S. men's swim team qualify for the 4x100 medley relay finals (Michael Phelps took his spot in the finals, where the team — including McGill for his role in the relay's success — earned gold). Tyler McGill also advanced to the men's 100-meter butterfly finals, where he placed seventh.
• World-champion decathlete Trey Hardee has several fans with EIU ties, including two of his stepmom's relatives — her mother, retired education faculty member Noelle Greathouse '70; and sister Darlene Greathouse Riedemann, who teaches in the Lumpkin College of Business.