WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Five athletes with University of Miami ties will be competing in the Tokyo Olympics, and although none will be representing the U.S., they'll be proudly representing four other countries -- and the Hurricanes, of course.
One current and former Miami baseball player will suit up for the Israeli national team.
Ben Wanger, who previously played for Yale and Southern California before transferring to Miami, helped Israel qualify for the Olympics. The right-handed pitcher and utility player recorded three hits, scored four runs and drove in three more in the qualifying tournament. He also threw 4.1 scoreless innings on the mound, giving up one hit and one walk while striking out five batters.
Wanger has one season of college eligibility remaining as a graduate student.
Danny Valencia will be his teammate.
Valencia, who grew up in Boca Raton and was a three-year starter at shortstop at Spanish River Community High School, spent two seasons with the Hurricanes before leaving school early to play professional baseball.
He made his Major League Baseball debut in 2010 and spent nine seasons in the majors, playing for the Minnesota Twins (2010-12), Boston Red Sox (2012), Baltimore Orioles (2013 and 2018), Kansas City Royals (2014), Toronto Blue Jays (2014-15), Oakland Athletics (2015-16) and Seattle Mariners (2017).
Other Olympians with Miami ties are Alysha Newman, a former All-American pole vaulter representing Canada; Aisha Chow, who became the first rower from Trinidad and Tobago to compete in the Olympics in 2016; and freshman diver Emma Gullstrand, who is representing Sweden.