SAN DIEGO -- Three former San Diego State athletes and one incoming student-athlete are set to compete at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, which begins on Tuesday (Pacific Daylight Time).
Former Aztec track and field star Shanieka Ricketts (Thomas) (2011-14) will represent Jamaica in the triple jump, while Xander Schauffele (2013-15) will play for the United States in men's golf. Additionally, Stefania Aradillas (2015-16) is playing for the Mexican softball team along with incoming signee Dee Hernandez.
In softball, Mexico will play Canada at 11 p.m. PDT Tuesday and host Japan at 8 p.m. PDT Wednesday in the opening round at Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium in Fukushima before playing its next three opening round games - vs. United States (10:30 p.m. PDT Friday), Italy (4 a.m. PDT Sunday) and Australia (4 a.m. PDT Monday, July 26) - at Yokohama Stadium in Yokohama. The bronze medal game is set for 9 p.m. PDT Monday, July 26 in Yokohama with the gold medal contest to follow at 4 a.m. PDT Tuesday, July 27.
Aradillas spent two seasons at SDSU from 2015-16 after transferring from Mt. SAC, appearing in 27 games with 13 starts. She had five hits, five RBIs and six walks over her San Diego State career without recording an error in 19 fielding chances. Hernandez, meanwhile, signed a National Letter Intent to play for SDSU on Dec. 12, 2020. A pitcher, Hernandez helped lead Crescenta Valley High School to a 69-12 record over her four years en route to racking up numerous accolades.
The second men's golf competition at the Olympics, meanwhile, will take place from July 28-31 at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama. The competition will feature four 18-hole rounds beginning at 3:30 p.m. PDT each day with the victory ceremony slated to follow on July 31.
Schauffele was a third-team All-American in 2015 from both Golfweek and GCAA, while also finishing as a three-time all-Mountain West selection and seven-time MW Golfer of the Week. He finished his three-year Aztec career with two individual titles, 16 top-5 finishes and 21 top-10 showings. Currently the fifth-ranked player in the world, Schauffele has won four times over his career on the PGA Tour.
The women's triple jump's qualifying fights begin on July 30 at 3:05 a.m. PDT from Olympic Stadium with the finals slated for Aug. 1 at 4:20 a.m. PDT.
Ricketts was a three-time NCAA triple jump champion (2013-14 outdoor, 2014 indoor) and a two-time runner-up finisher (2012 outdoor, 2013 indoor) while at San Diego State. Ricketts qualified for Tokyo after winning the Jamaican Senior National Championships on June 26 with a mark of 14.46 meters (47-05.25). She has won six of the seven events she has competed in 2021 and is ranked second in the world with a personal best of 14.92m (48-11.50). A member of the Aztec Hall of Fame, Ricketts will look to improve on her 2016 Rio Olympics where she missed the final by one place and tied for 13th at 14.02m (46-00.00).
Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games
* all dates reflected by Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) times
Mexico Softball
Stefania Aradillas (2015-16)
Dee Hernandez (signed NLI with SDSU on Dec. 12, 2020)
July 20 at 11 p.m. PDT - Mexico vs. Canada
July 21 at 8 p.m. PDT - Mexico at Japan
July 23 at 10:30 p.m. PDT - Mexico vs. United Stats
July 25 at 4 a.m. PDT - Mexico vs. Italy
July 26 at 4 a.m. PDT - Mexico vs. Australia
July 26 at 9 p.m. PDT - Bronze Medal Game
July 26 at 4 p.m. PDT - Gold Medal Game
USA Men's Golf
Xander Schauffele (2013-15)
July 28 at 3:30 p.m. PDT - First round
July 29 at 3:30 p.m. PDT - Second round
July 30 at 3:30 p.m. PDT - Third round
July 31 at 3:30 p.m. PDT - Fourth round
Jamaica Track & Field (Triple Jump)
Shanieka Ricketts (Thomas) (2011-14)
July 30 at 3:05 a.m. PDT - Qualifying
Aug. 1 at 4:20 a.m. PDT - Finals