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MILLIGAN, Tenn. (July 30, 2021) – Milligan student-athlete Megan Jastrab will make history as the first Buff to compete in the Olympic Games next week. She is a member of Team USA’s track cycling squad at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Jastrab will represent the United States alongside Jennifer Valente in the first-ever Olympic Women’s 
Madison on Aug. 6 at the Izu Velodrome.
She is the only current undergraduate student-athlete in the state of Tennessee to compete for Team USA at Tokyo 2020. Milligan, the University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt University and Austin Peay State University are the only four institutions in Tennessee to contribute current or former student-athletes to Team USA for Tokyo 2020.
“The Milligan community is extremely proud and excited for Megan as she represents the United States on the world’s biggest stage,” said Milligan President Dr. Bill Greer. “Megan continues to represent the best of Milligan as a student and as a world-class athlete. Her Milligan family will be cheering her on as she competes in Tokyo.”
She also will serve as the alternate for Team USA in the Women’s Team Pursuit on Aug. 2-3. Jastrab is the fifth member of the pursuit team and could be called upon to race in the event of an injury to a teammate.
As a freshman in 2019, Jastrab led the Buffs to the Collegiate National Championship in the Women’s Team Pursuit alongside Manuela Escobar and Gracie Pendleton. She captured the Individual Pursuit (3k) national title the next day, breaking the track record previously owned by Valente.
As a 17-year-old junior competitor, she took home three UCI Junior Track and Road World Championships in 2019. She captured UCI Junior Track World Championships in the Omnium and Madison in Frankfurt, Germany, in August and won the UCI Road Women’s Junior World Championship in Yorkshire, United Kingdom, in September 2019.
Due to Covid-19, the junior world circuit halted, and the 2020 Olympics were postponed. Despite losing the opportunity to defend her world junior titles, Jastrab set her sights on the Olympics. In June, she was selected to represent the United States in track cycling in Tokyo.
At 19 years old, Jastrab joins USA Cycling teammates Hannah Roberts and Payton Ridenour as the youngest members of the United States’ cycling contingent in Tokyo 2020.
Jastrab is one of five current student-athletes from NAIA institutions competing in the 32nd Olympiad. She is one of two current athletes from NAIA schools to represent the United States, along with Campbellsville University women’s wrestler Kayla Miracle.
When to watch:
Women’s Team Pursuit Finals: Aug. 3, 2:30a live; 6a EDT replay (NBCSN) (Megan is an alternate)
Madison: Aug. 6, 2:30a live; 1:30p EDT replay (USA)