Pair of Old Lyme graduates make U.S. Olympic team

Two Old Lyme High School graduates have been selected to Team USA men’s rowing eight team to compete at the Tokyo Olympics this summer.

The rowing competition at the Olympics is scheduled to start on July 23 and run through July 30.

Austin Hack, who graduated from Old Lyme in 2010, is the only returning Olympian on the U.S. Men’s National Olympic team after helping the U.S. place fourth in Rio in 2016. Meanwhile, 2015 Old Lyme graduate Liam Corrigan will make his Olympic debut this summer.

Hack rowed at Stanford (2010-14) and was twice named the Pac-12 Rowing Athlete of the Year. He joined the U.S. National Team in 2013, helping the men’s eight win gold at the 2013 World Rowing Cup III in Switzerland. In 2016, he helped the U.S. win the the eight in the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta before competing in Rio.

This is Corrigan’s second year training with the U.S. National Team after rowing

at Harvard from 2016 to 2019. At Harvard, he helped the second varsity squad to an undefeated season as a freshman, winning the program’s first IRA National Title since 2007. Most recently he finished seventh in the four at the 2019 U23 World Rowing Championships. This summer’s Olympics will be his first time competing on the senior national team.

Along with Corrigan, the other six members of the

men’s eight team will also be making their Olympic debuts this summer: Justin Best, Ben Davison, Conor Harrity, Nick Mead, Alex Miklasevich, Alexander Richards and Julian Venonsky. The U.S. has yet to medal in the men’s eight since 2008, last winning the gold in 2004.

Paul Gilham / Getty Images Austin Hack, a native of Old Lyme, in action with teammates Scott Durant, Hans Struzyna, Alexander Karwoski, Glenn Ochal, Stephen Kasprzyk, Michael DiSanto, Robert Munn and Samuel Ojserkis of the United States at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.