Track Stars

Photo: James T. Giffen

In August, Evelyn Bliss ’27 won the bronze medal in the javelin at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Peru.

Earning a spot in the U.S. Olympic Trials for Track & Field felt like a gold-medal moment to Evelyn Bliss ’27, who dreamed of just making it to the competition. But Bliss surpassed her own expectations, advancing to the finals, where she set a personal record and secured a sixth-place finish. Despite only taking up the sport four years ago, Bliss held her own against the nation’s top throwers, many with more than a decade of experience.

Growing up in Rimersburg, Pa., Bliss played Little League Baseball before transitioning to swimming. She envisioned herself swimming at the collegiate level. After her sophomore swim season, she joined the track team as a way to stay in shape during her off-season and decided to try javelin throwing. “Because I played baseball, I figured I could throw,” she says.

It was harder than she anticipated. Javelin throwing is a highly technical sport that requires precise form, shoulder mobility and synchronization of the body. It’s a quick motion, starting with a walk that transitions into a jog and finishes with a powerful throw. “Any slight misstep can throw off the entire process,” Bliss says.

With the guidance of her father, a former collegiate thrower, and countless hours of practice, she improved. Together, they watched YouTube videos and pieced together her technique. By her junior year, Bliss had a breakthrough, with three standout meets that earned her a spot at the Pennsylvania state meet. There, she finished in second place, throwing 140 feet.

As Bliss honed her technique and began qualifying for more prestigious competitions, she struggled with imposter syndrome. “Being pretty new to the sport, I didn’t feel like I belonged,” she says. She began working with a sports psychologist, who helped her build her confidence and embrace her identity as a skilled thrower.

Upon arriving at Bucknell in 2023, she and coach Ryan Protzman set their sights on three goals: winning the Patriot League Championships, qualifying for the NCAA National Championships, and qualifying for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. She did all three.

At the Olympic Trials in June, Bliss was one of the top 24 javelin throwers in the country. “I was up against these high-caliber athletes who I knew from YouTube — I had learned how to throw by watching their videos,” she says. “It was surreal.”

On day two of the competition, Bliss set a new personal record and made it to the finals. In the final rounds, with her parents and coach there, Bliss delivered outstanding performances — throwing a career-best 183 feet, 2 inches — placing sixth.

Balancing her athletic life, which entails four to five hours of daily training, with her studies as a biology major isn’t easy. But Bliss feels she has the support she needs at Bucknell. “Some of my first classes felt a little overwhelming,” she says. “But I saw a tutor and I used office hours for calculus and chemistry, and I found that it made my learning experience so much better. I asked a lot of questions and got to know the professors better. I love having the Bucknell support system. It’s amazing.”

Photo: Joe Kusumoto/U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee

Rayven Sample ‘24 was the only American to compete in the mixed T45-47 400-meter dash at the Paralympic Games.

As soon as Rayven Sample ’24, a psychology and education double-major from Jamestown, N.Y., arrived in Paris, he sensed the experience would be life-changing. “The moment that stands out is the opening ceremony,” says Sample, who came to compete in the 2024 Paralympic Games. While he had competed in Tokyo a few years prior, the energy in Paris was unmatched. Marching with Team USA along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, the sounds of the crowd fully engulfed him. “For at least a mile down the road, on both sides, the crowd was five to 10 people thick the whole way, just screaming and cheering for all the different countries.”

Since graduation, he had trained harder than ever under the guidance of Richard Alexander ‘03, associate head coach, men’s and women’s track and field; and Darrin Shirk, assistant strength & conditioning coach. Sample embraced a schedule of having either single or double practices six days a week.

On Aug. 30, Sample competed in his first event in Paris, the mixed T45–47 100-meter preliminary race, a disability sport classification which encompasses competitors with upper limb impairments. “I’ve never claimed to be a 100-meter runner, so that event is an opportunity for me to get a sense of the stadium and check out the competition,” says Sample, a T45 athlete, who ran a time of 11.56, earning him 14th place. “I was really happy with my result.”

Going into his main event, the mixed T45–47 400-meter dash, Sample wanted to be able to reproduce his personal best of 49.16 seconds, which he ran during the 2022 Colonial Relays. In the small hours of the morning on Sept. 6, he ran a time of 50.33, earning him an overall rank of 12th. It wasn’t his ideal result, but “the feeling of racing in front of thousands and thousands of people was incredible.”

Even though his race didn’t turn out how he’d hoped, there was a silver lining. “One of the things about not making the finals was that it allowed me to spend more time with my family in Paris,” he says. “Being able to explore the city with them was something I could never put a price on. It was raw happiness.”

Sample is already thinking about what comes next, with his experience in Paris serving as motivation to prepare himself for the next Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. His biggest question now is what his training will look like. During his time as a Division I athlete at Bucknell, his coaches, the track and the weight room were all in close proximity. “Everything is right there. There’s so many resources that are just so abundantly available,” says Sample. “So really, the next four years, I’ll be figuring out how to pay the bills, make ends meet, but also keep on chasing this dream at the same time.”

Photo: Jeff Cable/USA Water Polo

John McBride (center) was an assistant coach for the U.S. men’s water polo team in Paris.