While IU Bloomington athletes continue to rack up medals at the Rio Summer Olympics — the count is now at 8 and may go higher– current and former students at IU East in Richmond have claimed three medals of their own.
By winning the women’s singles tennis competition Saturday, IU East communications studies major Monica Puig made history as well, becoming Puerto Rico’s first-ever athlete to bring home a gold medal.
Meanwhile, in mixed doubles play, general studies major Rajeev Ram of Carmel, Ind., teamed with womens’ tennis superstar Venus Williams — who earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration at IU East in 2015 — to win silver medals.
Through educational agreements with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), online degree completion programs provide through IU East allows players the chance to continue to professionally train and compete while finishing their bachelor’s degree.
Other IU East students who competed in Rio included communications studies major Sloane Stephens for the U.S. (women’s singles) and Australian sisters Anastasia Rodionova and Arina Rodionova (women’s doubles), both of whom are pursuing a bachelor of science in business administration.
Read more about IU East’s online degree programs here. For more details on the experience of IU East athletes at the Rio Olympics, read here.
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