A swimmer. A runner. A soccer player.
We pay tribute to three women student-athletes—Kira Toussaint, Hannah Wilkinson, and Kali Davis-White—who recently represented Tennessee and their home countries well in the 2016 Olympics.
Kira Toussaint
Swimming & Diving
A senior member of the Tennessee swimming and diving team, Kira Toussaint made her first trip to the Olympics as a member of the Netherlands’ team. She finished eighteenth in the 100-meter backstroke in the Olympic preliminaries—just two spots away from advancing to the semifinals. She was the first women’s swimmer in Tennessee history to represent her country while still in college.
In her debut year as a Vol, Toussaint was part of three winning SEC relays and earned five All-America honors. She also broke the school record in the 100-yard backstroke.
“This morning didn’t go as I wanted, which was very disappointing. I’m still very proud to have represented the Netherlands and the Vols on the big stage. I’m also very happy that my family is here to support me.” (from Instagram)
Hannah Wilkinson
Soccer
Wilkinson is Tennessee’s active leader in goals (22) and points (53) and will likely crack the top ten in program history in both categories this season. She has extensive
experience with the New Zealand Women’s National Team— the Football Ferns—making seventy-two appearances with the full national team while tallying twenty-three career goals. She helped lead the Ferns to a FIFA Women’s World Cup appearance in 2011 and a quarterfinal appearance at the 2012 London Olympics. Wilkinson and her team fell to France in their third match of the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
“It was an unforgettable experience! I am very thankful I was able to represent my home country and perform on the world stage. Although we didn’t achieve the results we had worked for, I still feel hugely proud to be part of an amazing team and be known as an Olympian.”
Kali Davis-White
Track & Field
Kali Davis-White completed her first year at Tennessee in 2015–2016 and punctuated it with five All-America nods. She qualified for the Olympics by finishing third in the women’s 200-meter final with a time of 22.94 (-3.1) at the Jamaican Olympic Trials. Davis-White qualified for the final after winning her 200-meter semifinal heat with a time of 23.02 (-0.3). At 21, she was the second-youngest female Jamaican track athlete at the Olympics.
“Competing for Jamaica was something I’ve wanted to do since I was a little girl. Walking in the opening ceremony, I felt so proud because I know that I made my family, my teammates, my coaches and myself proud. It really meant a lot to me.”
2016 Vol Olympians
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Tamika Catchings (’00 & ’05)
USA
Gold medal
TRACK & FIELD
Tavis Bailey (’15)
USA
Discus
Christian Coleman
USA
4x100m relay
Kali Davis-White
Jamaica
200m
Tianna (Madison) Bartoletta (’07)
USA
100m, long jump, 4x100m relay
Gold medal (long jump)
Gold medal (4x100m relay)
Justin Gatlin
USA
100m, 200m & 4x100m relay
Silver medal (100m) First American to win three 100m Olympic medals
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Hannah Wilkinson
New Zealand
Rhian Wilkinson (’05)
Canada
Bronze medal
SWIMMING & DIVING
Molly Hannis (’15)
USA
200m breaststroke
Martina Moravcikova (’11)
Czech Republic
200m breaststroke
Kira Toussaint
The Netherlands
100m backstroke
Photos courtesy of UT Athletics