Three Trojans Will Participate At 2004 Olympics
July 16, 2004 | Women's Water Polo
July 16, 2004
LOS ANGELES -- Former USC women's water polo players Sofia Konoukh (Russia) and Aniko Pelle (Hungary) will compete for their respective countries at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, in August. Former Trojan player and assistant coach Danny Leyson will also be there as an assistant coach for the United States men's team.
Pelle, a native of Budapest, Hungary, was a four-time All-American at USC (1999-2002) and earned the 2000 Peter J. Cutino Award as the top female collegiate player in the nation. She is the school's all-time leading scorer with 254 goals.
Konoukh was a three-time All-American (2001-03) and set the school record for goals (104) in 2001. The Chelyabinsk, Russia, native is second all-time for career goals behind Pelle with 224.
Leyson, a former member of the U.S. National Team, spent two years as an assistant coach for the USC men's and women's team (2000-02). He was a four-year starter for the Trojans (1989-92) and a three-time All-American. He registered a career-high 66 goals in 1992 and was the leading scorer at the 1992 National Championships.
USC has sent more athletes to the Olympic Games than any other university. From 1904 to 2000, there have been 340 athletes who attended USC before, during or after their Olympic appearance. They have collected 217 medals (104 gold, 59 silver and 54 bronze), including at least one gold medal in every summer Olympics since 1912.
