Elon University alumni and faculty will play key roles in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, contributing to photography, event operations, news coverage and content creation.
The 2024 Olympic Games kick off on July 26 in Paris, France. It’s the third time the city of lights has hosted the Olympics, but the first in the 21st century.
While all eyes will be on the athletes competing, the city of Paris (and its famous landmarks) will be front and center as well. Men and women’s volleyball will compete at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, equestrian riders will ride through the gardens of the Palace of Versailles and the Seine River will hold several aquatic events.
Spotlighting all the excitement are several Elon University alumni and faculty, both in Paris and the U.S.
Caroline Brehman ’18, who earned a degree in communication design at Elon, will be photographing the Games for EPA Images. Brehman is no stranger to covering high profile events, having photographed Super Bowl LVII in 2023 and the 65th Grammy Awards.
Zora Stephenson ’15, a former member of the Elon women’s basketball team, is the current play-by-play voice for Peacock’s slate of Big Ten Women’s Basketball and is a sideline reporter for NBC Sports. She was the first woman to call play-by-play for the 2021 NBC champions and earned a regional Emmy Award at the 63rd Annual Chicago/Midwest Emmy Awards in 2021. During the Beijing Winter Games in 2022, Stephenson was a social media host and will be in Paris covering the 2024 Summer Games.
Zack Hrinuk ’18 works in event operations for the United States Olympic Committee. Hrinuk works directly with Team USA and will be in Paris for July through September managing operations at the Team USA House for both the Olympics and Paralympics. The Team USA House is an area where athletes come to celebrate after they win.
Aidan Rella ’24, earned a journalism degree from Elon and is now a streaming operator for NBC Sports for the Summer Olympics.
Ellie Whittington ’18 will be working with NBC Sports for her third Olympic Games. In 2020, Whittington worked remotely as a social media digital production assistant for the Tokyo Olympics. This year, she will be based in Stamford,
Connecticut at the NBC Sports headquarters and will be creating content with talent in-studio and with Olympians as they return from the Games.
Erica Ayala ’08 is a trending writer and on-air analyst for CBS Sports, covering the WNBA, NCAA, Women’s Basketball and the NHL. She covered her first Olympic Games in 2022 in Beijing. She will be covering the 2024 Paris Olympics with her company Black Rosie Media but is also contracted with CBS Sports. Ayala was recognized by Elon in 2024 with a Distinguished Alumni Award.
Max Negin, assistant professor of cinema & television arts, will be supporting NBC Sports from Stamford, Connecticut. This will be the ninth time Negin has worked the Olympic Games in some capacity.
Jacob LaPlante ’17 is a freelance motion graphics designer who will be working for NBC in Stamford, Connecticut for the Games. He will be supporting on-air graphics packages and branding. LaPlante is a two-time Emmy winner who also worked Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles in 2022.
Alexandra Roat ’20 is an associate for virtual channels at Peacock and will serve on the streaming platform’s editorial team which is directly in charge of the entire Olympics coverage on the platform.
Jessica Cervini is a specialist for Olympics Rights and Sponsorships for NBCUniversal.
Michael Wolfe ’24 will be working for NBC in Connecticut handling social media for the Olympics.
Do you know an Elon student, alum, faculty or staff member involved in the Paris Olympics? Contact Avery Craine Powell, associate director of the Elon University News Bureau at acrainepowell@elon.edu.