Two USC Annenberg alumni and one student returned from London with medals, including alumna Rebecca Soni, who broke two world records on her way to winning two gold medals and one silver medal.

In the 200-meter breaststroke final, Soni touched with a time of 2:19.59, surpassing the world record she had set only a day before in the semifinals. She took a record-breaking gold medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay and a silver in the 100-meter breaststroke. She graduated in 2009 with a degree in Communication. Junior swimmer Haley Anderson and alumnae Tumua Anae (water polo) and Soni (swimming) helped lead USC to its most successful Olympic Games to date. Anderson, a double major in communication and journalism, finished second in the women’s 10-kilometer marathon with a time of 1:57:38.6 seconds.

According to the San Francisco Gate, the USC-record holder and three-time Pac-10 champion became the first American to ever medal in open-water swimming, which was added to the Games in 2008. Anae was one of three goalkeepers for Team USA, which defeated Spain 8-5 in the gold-medal match. The 2010 Communication graduate added a gold medal to a list of accomplishments earned as Trojan, which included three first-team All-American awards and a national championship. Also among the 39 Trojans attending the 2012 Olympics were USC Annenberg alumni Tina Kefalas (B.A. Communication ’00, Greece track), Sofia Konoukh (B.A. Communication ’04, Russia water polo), and Donald Suxho (B.A. Communication ’00, USA volleyball).

Congratulations to all the athletes, as well as the 21 USC Annenberg students who interned for NBC Sports!