HON. DEAN HELLER

OF NEVADA

IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE

July 12, 2012 

Mr. HELLER: Mr. President, I rise today to extend well-deserved congratulations to four Nevadans who have earned the unique distinction of being named to the 2012 United States Olympic Team.  Amanda Bingson, Jake Dalton, Connor Fields, and Michael Hunter will be competing in hammer throw, gymnastics, BMX, and boxing at the Olympic Games in London.  I am proud to recognize some of our nation’s greatest athletes and members of Team USA who will represent the Silver State proudly. 

A Silverado High School alumni and UNLV sophomore, Amanda Bingson, finished second in the hammer throw at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon.  An ambitious athlete, she is a three-time Mountain West hammer-throw champion, two-time national All-American honoree, and recently set a new UNLV hammer throw record.

Jake Dalton, a 2009 graduate of Spanish Spring High School, took victories in the floor exercise and vault in a combined points total from the VISA Championships and the Olympic Trials. He joins the rest of Team USA in the hopes of winning gold, a feat that has not been secured by men’s gymnastics since 1984. Jake has won four individual NCAA titles, 13 All-American honors, and is believed to be Nevada’s first male gymnast to make the Olympic team.

Green Valley High School alumni, Connor Fields, won the U.S. Men's BMX Time Trials in Chula Vista, California, earning a place on the three-man team for the 2012 London Games.  This 19-year-old southern Nevada native is the first rider in BMX supercross history to win three straight World Cup final races. 

Michael Hunter, Las Vegas heavyweight boxer, qualified for this summer’s London Games with a semifinal victory in the AIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Rio de Janeiro. A three-time national champion, encouragement from Michael’s family has always been paramount to reaching his Olympic dream.