Former BSU & University of Idaho Athletes Named to US Winter Olympic Team

It's always fun to follow Olympic dreams of Team USA, especially if some of those are athletes from Idaho and we, Idahoans have a couple of former former college students to cheer on next month in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Congratulations to Nick Cunningham, who was just named to the USA Bobsled team. Nick, formerly a BSU Track athlete was named to the team on Monday, along with Sam Michener, a former University of Idaho athlete, who now lives and Gresham Oregon.

Team USA announced Monday That the USA Bobsled teams will be led by drivers Codie Bascue, Nick Cunningham and Justin Olsen. The US bobsled team USA is one of three nations to qualify three sleds for Olympic Bobsledding competition.

The 12-member men’s team includes four Olympians that had competed in Olympics in both Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014.

According to Team USA Bobsled and Skeleton, “Cunningham is the most experienced driver of the three on Team USA. He was a brakeman at the 2010 Olympics, then finished 13th driving two-man and 12th driving four-man in 2014. The 32-year-old is from Monterey, California, has three top-five finishes in two-man and also earned his first to the world cup podium in three years, when earlier this season he placed second at the season opener in Lake Placid, New York.”

He is joined by Hakeen Abdul-Saboor, Christopher Kinney and former U of I student and Gresham Oregon resident, Sam Michener, all of whom are making their Olympic debuts, in four-man.

Cunningham is also on the two man USA bobsled team and teammate. Cunningham is the driver while, Abdul-Saboor will push Cunningham in that event.

The 2018 Winter Olympics take place February 9th to February 29th