A pair of former athletes represented Austin Peay and their countries well during this summer’s Olympic Games.
Morgan Rackel and Wes Kitts were members of the Canadian National Team and Team USA in softball and weightlifting, respectively, during the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Rackel served as a pitching alternate throughout the games. She was expected to contribute to the Canadian team’s success before the coronavirus delayed last year’s Olympics but was added to the alternate list this summer.
A two-year starter for the Govs, the Calgary, Alberta native dominated in the circle throughout her collegiate career, striking out 446 batters and boasting an ERA of 1.68 across 384 career innings of work. She was the 2018 Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year and holds the third-lowest career ERA in school history.
The Canadian National Team took home a bronze medal in July, the country’s first-ever medal in the sport.
In August, Governors running-back-turned-weightlifter Wes Kitts took part in Team USA’s largest Olympic weightlifting team since 1996.
While in Clarksville, Kitts played in 26 games from 2008-2012 and totaled over 1,100 yards on the ground.
He competed in the 109+ kilogram bodyweight category and placed eighth out of 14 in the event. Kitts was the first American heavyweight to compete on the men’s side in 25 years and set an American weightlifting record with a 390-pound snatch.
“It wasn’t my first go at it, but it feels good,” he said in a news release. “I took it in the last three meets in a row. It’s a cool achievement.”
