OGLETREE WINS SILVER AT ATHENS OLYMPICS

Former collegiate sailing All-American Charlie Ogletree, along with teammate John Lovell, won the silver medal in the Olympic Tornado sailing class, finishing second to the defending gold medallists Roman Hagara and Hans Steinacher from Austria.

Ogletree, who has been sailing since 1993 with Lovell, a "great friend" with whom he shares the exact same birth date, year and all, said that initially the two were disappointed about losing the gold. Upon returning to the Agios Kosmas Sailing Center in Greece, however, the melancholy turned to delight. "Our heads were down a little," said Ogletree, "but the the moment we got ashore and started talking to the media and friends and family we started realizing how great it is to conclude with a medal after trying in Savannah and Sydney. It's a dream come true."

Ogletree earned collegiate sailing All-American honors in 1989 at Old Dominion. The Houston native helped lead the Monarchs to fifth at the collegiate ICSA Team Race championships.

"I'm thrilled for them," said U.S. Sailing Team's head coach Gary Bodie, also a former ODU head sailing coach. "They've always been players but this spring they really started putting it together and won the silver medal at the 2004 Tornado World Championships. They had the package that was necessary."

In all, five ODU alumni were a part of Olympic medals won. Anne Donovan ('83), an assistant coach with the gold medal USA women's basketball team; Macha van der Vaart ('91) won silver with Netherlands field hockey ; Marina DiGiacomo ('01) won bronze with Argentina's field Hockey team, and Oliver Purnell, ('75) an assistant coach with the USA men's basketball team who earned a bronze medal.