These athletes exemplify the spirit and dedication of Knight Nation. Watch the events on NBC or stream via Peacock as you cheer them on.

Samantha Bosco

Event dates: Sept. 4

Born with a born with a bowed tibia in her right leg, Samantha Bosco, began cycling with her dad at 7 years old. At 11, she underwent three years of surgeries to fix her leg-length discrepancy from the bowed tibia. The surgery to lengthen her right leg two and a half inches didn’t go as planned, eventually leaving her with permanent damage to her leg.

Unable to ride a bike after the surgeries, Bosco switched sports, going on to receive a full athletic scholarship with the Knights. From 2005-07, she rowed for two seasons in the V8, V4 and JV8 boats. However, the damage to her leg led to her retiring from the sport after her sophomore season.

An adapted bike allowed her to participate in road races. Two years after her return to her bike, she discovered paracycling. She found success in the sport, reaching her first world championship in 2013 before earning a pair of bronze medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games. In 2019, after discovering nerve damage and still competing at a high level, she was nominated for the Best Female Athlete with a Disability award at the ESPYs. Three days after being named to the Team USA roster for the 2021 Tokyo Games, Bosco suffered a traumatic brain injury and two skull fractures, forcing her out of the competition. In her return, she won every paracycling road race she entered in 2022, becoming a double world champion in Baie-Comeau, Canada in August of that year.

Kyle Coon ’13

Event dates: Sept. 1-2

Coon, a communication alum, will compete in the Paralympic triathlon after secured his place by finishing third in the World Triathlon Para Series Montreal. His impressive performance in the race, which included a 760-meter swim, 20.2-kilometer bike, and 5-kilometer run, earning him the honor of representing Team USA in Paris.

He also represented Team USA in the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, where he made his first Olympic appearance and placed fifth. A lifelong competitive athlete, Coon was a member of UCF’s Wrestling Club and a group exercise instructor for UCF’s Recreation and Wellness Center during his studies.

At 10 months old, Coon was diagnosed with bilateral sporadic retinoblastoma, the most common form of eye cancer for children. By the time he turned 7, both of his eyes had been surgically removed. Shortly after, Coon’s father introduced him to Erik Weihenmayer, a blind extreme athlete who inspired the young boy to continue to stay active.

Malacchi Esdale

Event dates: July 24, 25 and 27

Esdale, a former UCF student, will compete in rugby for Team USA. After becoming a professional rugby player in 2017, he was appointed as a travel reserve for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Esdale discovered rugby in by playing for the Naples Bears in Florida. After attending ASA College in New York and the șŁœÇֱȄ of Miami, he transferred to UCF, where he joined the Rugby Club – Men’s Team and honed his skills.

Sarai Linder

Event dates: July 25, 28 and 31; Aug. 3, 6, 9 and 10

Former UCF women’s soccer defender Sarai Linder will represent her nation of Germany. She is one of three UCF women’s soccer alums to compete at the Olympics, joining USA’s Michelle Akers ’89 (1996 Atlanta) and Brazil’s Aline Reis ’11 (2016 Rio).

Linder, spent the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign with the Knights, playing seven matches. She capped her season by earning First Team All-American Athletic Conference honors, All-AAC Rookie Team accolades, and 2020-21 AAC All-Academic Team honors.

Julie Poulsen ’20

Event dates: July 28 and 30; Aug. 1

Poulsen will represent her home county of Denmark in the women’s four portion of rowing.

The UCF communication alum began rowing at 10 when her mother took her to a local club. Poulsen is one of the most decorated UCF rowers in program history. She is one of three Knights to be named a Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) All-American. She was named First Team All-American Athletic Conference three times (2018, 2019, 2021) and earned CRCA National Scholar Athlete and American Athletic Conference All-Academic honors in four straight years from 2018-21.

“My days at UCF has taught me a lot of lessons, which has played a big part of who I am today,” Poulsen says. “An important lesson I learned at UCF was to be less timid of challenges. We were often thrown big challenges we didn’t think we could overcome, but we always would. This has made me believe that there is no challenge that is too big, and it has made me so much more tough than I was before.”

Viktorija Senkute ’18

Event dates: July 27-Aug. 3

Senkute will compete for Team Lithuania in women’s single sculls for rowing.UCF’s rowing team won four American Athletic Conference championships while the interdisciplinary studies student-athlete attended the university (2015-18). She earned a CRCA All-Region nod in 2018 as well as First Team All-American Athletic Conference first team honors in 2017 and 2018 and second team recognitions in 2015 and 2016.

“Before coming to UCF I didn’t know how to be a teammate; I didn’t know how to fight as one. UCF taught me so many things about what it’s like to be on a team,” she says. “In Lithuania, you have to choose one path in college — sports or education. UCF allowed me to combine both and experience a culture and life I would have never dreamed about.”

Kristen Thomas ’16

Event dates: July 28-30

Thomas, a theatre studies alum, is a rugby traveling reserve for the Team USA. She previously represented Team USA as co-captain in the 2020 Summer Olympics, helping the team achieve a top 10 finish.

Thomas began her rugby career at UCF in 2011, joining the Rugby Club – Women’s Team. Her exceptional talent was quickly recognized, leading to a call-up to the national team just two years later.

“UCF was pretty instrumental in developing me as a player,” Thomas said in a 2021 article. “Our coach, Raoul Besse, really harped on our skills. The physicality of the game I think I get a lot from him because you need to be physical in a contact sport. He was the first one to nominate me for the under-20 national team and if he hadn’t done that, I don’t know if I would be where I am today.”

“I couldn’t believe our margin,” says Johnson, who majored in criminal justice and earned a master’s in communication from UCF. “I wasn’t even aware it was that large until the judges notified me once the games ended. I was shocked, excited and incredibly proud.”

Johnson’s journey to July’s Pan American games in Lima, Peru, started when she was just six. She continued playing for fun throughout her adolescent years. And by the time high school graduation came around, she knew that bowling was her calling. Johnson, who grew up in Miami, had bowling friends from around the state who were heading to Orlando to play on UCF’s new bowling team, the Striking Knights.

“[Striking Knights was] like a little family, and we were good at what we did. Bowling fueled us, and in turn we fueled each other.” – Stefanie Johnson ’06 ’08MA

“I joined the Striking Knights when they were brand new,” says Johnson. “We were like a little family, and we were good at what we did. Bowling fueled us, and in turn we fueled each other.”

After graduating from UCF in 2006, she began her career on Team USA as a professional bowler. It took more than a decade of hard work and practice to qualify for the Pan American Games, but 2019 was the year she not only qualified, but emerged the No. 1 qualifier in the U.S. This was a dream come true for Johnson. who never wavered in her faith that she’d one day play in the games.

“This is the greatest opportunity to be given,” Johnson says. “The accumulation of hard work, love for the game, and remaining positive is what has pushed me forward. It is what inspires me to represent our country in Lima.”

Earlier this summer, Johnson and O’Keefe set off for Peru, where they played 12 games over two days. Johnson handily beat the other teams with an individual record for the highest six-game block.

Since the Pan American Games, Johnson has competed in a number of Professional Women’s Bowling Association events, including the recent World Championship games in Las Vegas.

“This has been a huge year for me and Team USA,” says Johnson. “UCF helped facilitate the love I have for bowling. I look back and am glad to see how much I’ve grown as an athlete.”

Bates and her team first helped to launch The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort in 2010. Following its success, she and her team partnered with Warner Bros., the “Harry Potter” cast and filmmakers, author J.K. Rowling, and a team of creative geniuses to once again capture the world’s imagination, bringing Diagon Alley to life for the devoted fans of the books and movies.

On Nov. 6, Bates was celebrated for her successes, as well as her continued involvement at the university, becoming the 31st inductee in the Alumni Hall of Fame, which was established in 2000.

Tom Alexander, ’03, chair of the UCF Nicholson School of Communication Alumni Chapter, emceed the luncheon, which was held at the Citrus Club in downtown Orlando. He was joined by Robert Chandler, NSC director and professor, who presented Bates with her award.

“Through all of her actions and efforts, Donna truly exemplifies integrity, community, creativity and excellence, making her a remarkable Knight,” Chandler said.

Fellow NSC Hall of Fame inductees, and members of the NSC Alumni Chapter and , as well as Bates’ co-workers were in attendance to congratulate her.

“I’m incredibly proud to be a graduate of the Nicholson School of Communication at UCF,” Bates said. “I love seeing the high caliber of candidates our program is producing, and I’m so honored to be a member of the NSC Alumni Hall of Fame.”

Edorsson, a senior majoring in interdisciplinary studies, a degree she will use to start a real estate business in Miami or Fort Lauderdale. For now, she works as a timeshare sales representative and has her sights set on more reality television.

“I was fine before Survivor, I didn’t plan to try out for reality TV but I was looking for something new. 
 This [Survivor] was the best thing I could do to change my life around,” Edorsson said. “I love sports and fitness and love to be around people. Survivor is the biggest challenge you could manage, so I did it.”

In its 24th season, Survivor had contestants competing in Upolu, Samoa, for a chance to win $1 million. Survivor, a game known for being brutal to its contestants and entertaining to its audience, gave Edorsson an opportunity to prove her abilities and discover her comedic side.

“Apparently, people think I’m funny. I became known as ‘the clown,’” Edorsson said. “Re-watching myself on TV, I was even laughing.”

Being voted off was no laughing matter. The tribal council kept her on after a close call in the second show, but Edorsson’s game came to an end after she was blindsided in the 12th episode. She was originally planning to blindside tribemate Sabrina Thompson and was surprised to see the tribe turn against her instead.

“I definitely think I played a great game, but the choices I made weren’t as great,” Edorsson said. “Not entertaining Troy’s idea when I should have wasn’t a good thing, and not talking to Sabrina didn’t help.”

Although she was voted off, she still says she feels like a winner.

“I went out as a threat, not a weak player,” she said. “I feel like I had a great attitude. I wish I could do better, but I feel like I did good.

“
 I went out there hoping I’d change the person I am, and [in] every episode, you see me change. The last thing you saw in tribal council is you saw how much I learned and changed. I matured a lot and am very thankful.”

Life on campus hasn’t changed much for Edorsson, although she says many students stare at her wondering if she’s “that girl from Survivor.”

“Yes, it’s me, and I want people to come talk and tell me how they feel [about the show],” Edorsson said. “I really hope Orlando is proud of how I played the game and that I represented UCF well.”

After her experience on the show, Edorsson says she would love to play Survivor again.

“I might have plans to audition for other things,” Edorsson said. “I’d love to do Dancing with the Stars, mind you you’d have to actually be a star and I’m not really a star, but still.”

With no set plans but high hopes of being part of shows like Big Brother or Amazing Race, Edorsson says we should be on the lookout for her again.

“This is definitely not the last time you’ll see me on national TV,” Edorsson said. “I’m there for the challenge and for the game, and apparently people think I’m funny, so why not.”

COMM Day targets students who want to improve their job search skills and professionals seeking better results when searching for talent to hire.

Events will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, April 8, at the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center.

The COMM Day agenda includes student workshops designed to provide professional development and transition into the real world.  Three one-hour breakout sessions will cover topics such as quick tips for success, online branding and virtual resumes and portfolios.

The keynote speaker will be Sally Hogshead, a national authority on branding and management. Hogshead is the author of “Fascinate: The 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation.”

New Nicholson School of Communication Hall of Fame members will also be inducted, and outstanding students and alumni will be honored.

The cost is $15 for students and $20 for professionals. Registration ends Thursday, March 31. Proceeds will benefit the William T. Grasty Communication Scholarship and the NSC Alumni Chapter.

Click to learn more about the event.

Todd, a 2009 UCF graduate, will compete in the Miss America 2010 Pageant on Saturday, Jan. 30. TLC will air the pageant live from Las Vegas at 8 p.m. EST. The UCF community is invited to attend a watch party at 7:30 p.m. at Brooklyn Pizza, located in Ferrell Commons on the main campus.

To read more about Rachael Todd and see a video interview about her experiences at UCF, click here.