Schools who have sent the most USA athletes to the Olympics

USA athletes sent: 289

Stanford isn’t just for the brainy – it is also home to the most Olympians sent to Team USA. Leading the way for Cardinal Olympians are legendary swimmers like Katie Ledecky, Jenny Thompson and Janet Evans. Beach volleyball superstar Kerry Walsh Jennings also attended Stanford and became one of the most decorated Olympians in the sport's history. If you want to be an Olympian, Stanford is the place to go.

USA athletes sent: 278

The Bruins may not be winning national championships in football, but they have had no problems sending athletes to the Olympics. It’s basketball players like Russell Westbrook or Kevin Love, or track star Florence Griffith Joyner that put the Bruins on the international map. UCLA is a factory that spits out Olympians year after year.

USA athletes sent: 251

Rival UCLA might be ahead of them in the Olympian count, but USC has held its own in sending athletes to the Games. Allyson Felix has represented the Trojans on the track as well as four-time gold medalist Lenny Krayzelberg. There is plenty of “Fight On” at the Olympics.

USA athletes sent: 212

UCLA isn’t the only public school in the top five. Berkeley also has a bevy of Olympians it can say went to the school, particularly in the pool. Matt Biondi picked up five gold medals in 1988, while Natalie Coughlin earned 12 total medals between 2004-2012. With Missy Franklin now attending the school, the Golden Bears' legacy of accomplished swimmers continues.

USA athletes sent: 212

Harvard isn’t just for doctors and lawyers. It also produces Olympians who excel in the water. In the summer, the Crimson has produced some of the best rowers in the country. They have also sent athletes to the yachting event with nine gold medals. In the winter, successful figure skaters have come from Harvard, including two-time medalist Tenley Albright and two-time Olympic champion Dick Button. The school is also well represented in the hockey rink, winning 30 medals as part of the U.S. hockey team. Their heyday has passed, but the Crimson are still at the Games consistently every two years.

USA athletes sent: 152

Much like its Ivy League counterpart Harvard, Yale has had a lot of success in boating events, but they have accomplished Olympians in other sports. Eddie Egan won a gold medal in boxing at the 1924 Olympics, then switched to bobsledding at the 1932 Winter Games. Don Schollander became the first swimmer to win four gold medals at the same Olympics. Next time you’re in New Haven, know that you are in the presence of Olympic greatness – new and old.

USA athletes sent: 146

There’s only one name you need to know in Michigan Olympics lore: Michael “28 freaking medals” Phelps. The Wolverines can claim his legendary Olympic career, but he’s not the only accomplished athlete to come from Ann Arbor. Joining him are Hall of Fame swimmers Tom Dolan and Carl Robie, who have won three gold medals between them. Also etched into Michigan’s Olympic triumphs is Steve Fraser, the first man to win an Olympic medal in Greco-Roman wrestling. If you look hard enough, you’ll see plenty of maize and blue at the Games.

USA athletes sent: 145

Do you believe in miracles? Then you believe in the Minnesota Golden Gophers. USA men’s hockey coach Herb Brooks, who engineered the Miracle on Ice, called Minnesota his alma mater and brought nine Golden Gophers with him. Minnesota’s proud history of sending hockey players to the Olympics has extended to the USA women’s team, where 10 Gophers have been sent to the Games. Minnesota hasn’t had a ton of luck on the summer side of the Olympics, but they have plenty of winter participants to make up for it.

USA athletes sent: 131

UPenn may not be as present as they were in Olympics past, but they dominated the scene for a while. They sent 13 athletes to the 1900 Games in Paris and walked away with 22 medals in track and field. The university sent athletes by a handful to each Olympic Games. They may not be as dominant as they were before, but what they’ve accomplished can never be erased.

USA athletes sent: 131

The Buffaloes have had success sending athletes to both seasons of the Olympic Games, and it’s not hard to see why given the intense endurance needed to train in the state. Colorado is third all-time in representation in the Winter Olympics amongst all universities, which can be credited to the massively successful skiing team. In the summer, the Buffaloes have sent 13 cyclists. With its inclusion into the Pac-12, the school’s Olympic trajectory can only improve.

USA athletes sent: 125

The third Ivy League on this list is sending 12 athletes to Team USA this winter to Pyeongchang. This only adds to the sterling legacy Dartmouth has at the Olympics. They have sent an athlete to every Olympic Games since 1924. While they haven’t medaled as much as some of the schools on this list, that kind of perennial representation deserves respect.

USA athletes sent: 122

Before the United States took down the Soviets with the Miracle on Ice, the Washington Huskies put the school on the map by beating the Nazis in rowing at the 1936 Games in Berlin. While the Huskies have become known for their sports prowess at home with football and basketball, their rowing team is the stuff of legends on the international stage.

USA athletes sent: 122

Like many Midwestern schools on this list, the Badgers have a huge presence at the Winter Olympics, especially in hockey. Wisconsin has a strong presence on the United States women’s hockey team, filling in four of the team’s current roster slots. There's plenty of "On Wisconsin" at the Olympics.

USA athletes sent: 104

Before Jesse Owens embarrassed Hitler at the Berlin Games, he was running laps at Ohio State. His four gold medals at Berlin put the Buckeyes on the map internationally, and he was far from the only big-time Olympian to go to Columbus. Paul Hamm, the only American man to win the all-around competition for Team USA, was a Buckeye before he stepped onto the mat in Athens. He is just one of the many stars to come out of Ohio State.

USA athletes sent: 104

The Longhorns haven't sent anyone to a Winter Olympics, but their presence at the Summer Games is overwhelming. Whether it’s swimming or track and field, you don’t have to go far to find a Texas athlete.

USA athletes sent: 103

From the spectacular Mark Spitz to the finger-wagging Lily King, the Hoosiers have been a part of the Olympic scene for a while, especially in the pool. But they have had a strong showing on the track as well, with David Neville taking the gold medal 400m relay and a bronze in the individual 400m in Beijing. By land or by sea, the Hoosiers are well represented at the Olympics.

USA athletes sent: 102

The Tigers have been ripping and roaring their way through the Olympics since the first modern Games in 1896. The university sent four track and field athletes to Athens that year, where Robert Garrett Jr. won two gold and two silver medals. Since their success in track and field, the Tigers have consistently sent athletes in rowing and fencing.

USA athletes sent: 92

The next Ivy League school is the Big Red, who impacted the Olympics in earlier years. Like the rest of the schools in its league, Cornell sent a contingent of track stars and fencers but diversified into more sports like wrestling, equestrian, and swimming. Leading the way for the Big Red is Pedro Pablo Morales, Jr. who won three gold medals from 1984 to 1992.

USA athletes sent: 89

The Tar Heels sent their first athlete to the Olympic Games in 1936. Since then, they’ve sent 88 more, including Michael Jordan, Mia Hamm, and Tobin Heath. They have thrived in the team sports and it has resulted in 35 gold medals. That’s a lot of hardware.

USA athletes sent: 80

Rounding out the top Ivy League schools in Olympians produced are the Lions, who have sent a number of athletes to the Games. In recent years, fencing has been a popular sport for Columbia, providing five fencers to the USA Olympic Team in 2012.