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USA Hockey's Rio Connection

08/16/2016, 9:30am MDT
By Brenna Payne

USA Hockey alumni Angela Ruggeiro, her Olympic teammate A.J. Mleczko Griswold and 2009 United States Women’s Under-18 National Team member Alev Kelter are playing significant roles during the Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janiero. 
 
Kelter, captain of the 2009 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship team, was a member of the rugby sevens team that took fifth place in the sport’s Olympic debut in Rio. Read more about her here.
 
Mleczko Griswold, a 1998 and 2002 U.S. Olympian-turned ice hockey commentator has taken her skills to the NBC field hockey broadcast booth. While there are obvious similarities between ice hockey and field hockey, she said “there is different terminology, and in field hockey there’s a much larger surface, the ball can’t touch any part of the body and there are only right-handed shots.” In order to learn more about the game, which has changed immensely since she played in high school, Mleczko Griswold spent a week with the team in Pennsylvania earlier this summer getting to know the team and watching games.

Ruggiero, a four-time U.S. Olympian, was recently elected chair of the International Olympic Committee’s Athlete Commission. The Commission acts as the voice of athletes to the IOC and to the Olympic Movement.
 
A member of the U.S. Olympic Committee’s board of directors, Angela will be speaking to the athletes in the athlete village to get their feedback as well as acting as a resource if they need anything during the Olympic Games while representing the IOC, USOC, and the LA2024 Olympic bid.
 
These USA Hockey alumni are excited to participate in the Summer Olympics. Mleczko Griswold has had a wonderful time so far reliving her memories of being a Team USA member, while Ruggiero looks forward to taking in swimming, track and field, soccer and basketball events.
 
 


Alev Kelter and teammate Megan Bozek


Angela Ruggiero


AJ Mleczko Griswold

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