Greg Hansen's top 10 female swimmers in Tucson history
- Updated
Lacy Nymeyer is No. 1, but it's a tough call.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Editor's note: This summer, Star columnist Greg Hansen is counting down the top 10 of just about everything related to Tucson sports.
Today's list: The top 10 female swimmers in Tucson history.
On an otherwise slow Wednesday morning, July 29, 1992, about 250 people from Benson squeezed into the classroom of Benson High School teacher and coach Leo Ahmann.
A disc jockey from a Tucson radio station and a TV satellite technician made it possible for all in attendance to watch (and listen to) the Olympic women’s swimming 100 meter butterfly championship.
Benson’s own Crissy Ahmann, the American record holder, was the subject of her hometown’s affection.
During her high school days in Benson, Ahmann was mostly the only girls swimmer on the Bobcats’ team.
After driving back and forth from Benson to the UA aquatic center during her high school days — training with coach Dick Jochums and later Frank Busch — Ahmann had become a world-class swimmer, with two NCAA championships in the 100 butterfly.
As Arizona emerged as an NCAA swimming powerhouse; the UA women’s team finished seventh at the 1991 NCAA finals, the first time a Wildcat team cracked the NCAA top 10.
Ahmann — now Crissy Perham — was the force behind Arizona’s move into national consciousness in women’s swimming, one that would ultimately lead to 14 consecutive finishes in the nation’s top 10.
In the finals of the Barcelona Olympics 100 butterfly, Ahmann and China’s Hong Qian appeared to touch the finish line simultaneously. When all the decimal points were in place, Qian won the gold in 58.62 seconds; Ahmann won the silver medal in 58.74.
“Everyone at home will still love me even if I have a silver medal,’’ Ahmann said.
Selecting 10 UA women’s swimmers for this list was, as with most of the Top 10 rankings, impossibly crowded with top choices. Here is our list:
When the Wildcats won the 2008 NCAA championship, Nymeyer, a Mountain View High School grad, won an almost incomprehensible five titles: the 100 freestyle and all four relay championships. She also was second in the 200 freestyle. That summer, she was part of Team USA’s silver medal relay team at the Beijing Olympics and the 2009 NCAA Woman of the Year.
In addition to her Olympic silver medal and two NCAA championships, Perham was a key part of America’s gold medal 400 relay team.
The NCAA’s 2007 Woman of the Year was also the 2006 Pac-10 swimmer of the year who, as a senior, was part of six first place finishes at the 2007 NCAA finals.
Much of Beard’s internationally-acclaimed swimming work was accomplished before and after her two seasons (2000 and 2001) at Arizona. But the multiple Olympic gold medalist won the 2001 NCAA title in the 100 breaststroke.
Although she failed to make the 2008 U.S. Olympic team by an eyelash, Jackson, a freestyle sprinter, set an American record at the Olympic Trials and was part of five NCAA championships on the 2008 national championship team.
In 1995, Tappin became Arizona’s first women’s NCAA swimmer to win two titles in a season, in the 50 and 200 freestyle. She was part of USA gold medal relay teams in 1992 and 2000.
When Arizona was in the AIAW – the female version of the NCAA – she set seven UA records in seven events, winning two AIAW titles in 1982 and earning election into the UA Sports Hall of Fame.
A 15-time All-American, Jackson, who won a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, also won NCAA titles in distance events in 1997 and 1998.
This is how good Chandler was at Arizona: at the 2008 NCAA finals, won by the Wildcats, she was part of two national title-winning relay teams and finished third in the 100 breaststroke. By the end of her UA career, she was a 14-time All-American.
A three-time NCAA individual champion and the 2015 Pac-12 Woman of the Year.
Editor's note: This summer, Star columnist Greg Hansen is counting down the top 10 of just about everything related to Tucson sports.
Today's list: The top 10 female swimmers in Tucson history.
On an otherwise slow Wednesday morning, July 29, 1992, about 250 people from Benson squeezed into the classroom of Benson High School teacher and coach Leo Ahmann.
A disc jockey from a Tucson radio station and a TV satellite technician made it possible for all in attendance to watch (and listen to) the Olympic women’s swimming 100 meter butterfly championship.
Benson’s own Crissy Ahmann, the American record holder, was the subject of her hometown’s affection.
During her high school days in Benson, Ahmann was mostly the only girls swimmer on the Bobcats’ team.
After driving back and forth from Benson to the UA aquatic center during her high school days — training with coach Dick Jochums and later Frank Busch — Ahmann had become a world-class swimmer, with two NCAA championships in the 100 butterfly.
As Arizona emerged as an NCAA swimming powerhouse; the UA women’s team finished seventh at the 1991 NCAA finals, the first time a Wildcat team cracked the NCAA top 10.
Ahmann — now Crissy Perham — was the force behind Arizona’s move into national consciousness in women’s swimming, one that would ultimately lead to 14 consecutive finishes in the nation’s top 10.
In the finals of the Barcelona Olympics 100 butterfly, Ahmann and China’s Hong Qian appeared to touch the finish line simultaneously. When all the decimal points were in place, Qian won the gold in 58.62 seconds; Ahmann won the silver medal in 58.74.
“Everyone at home will still love me even if I have a silver medal,’’ Ahmann said.
Selecting 10 UA women’s swimmers for this list was, as with most of the Top 10 rankings, impossibly crowded with top choices. Here is our list:
When the Wildcats won the 2008 NCAA championship, Nymeyer, a Mountain View High School grad, won an almost incomprehensible five titles: the 100 freestyle and all four relay championships. She also was second in the 200 freestyle. That summer, she was part of Team USA’s silver medal relay team at the Beijing Olympics and the 2009 NCAA Woman of the Year.
In addition to her Olympic silver medal and two NCAA championships, Perham was a key part of America’s gold medal 400 relay team.
The NCAA’s 2007 Woman of the Year was also the 2006 Pac-10 swimmer of the year who, as a senior, was part of six first place finishes at the 2007 NCAA finals.
Much of Beard’s internationally-acclaimed swimming work was accomplished before and after her two seasons (2000 and 2001) at Arizona. But the multiple Olympic gold medalist won the 2001 NCAA title in the 100 breaststroke.
Although she failed to make the 2008 U.S. Olympic team by an eyelash, Jackson, a freestyle sprinter, set an American record at the Olympic Trials and was part of five NCAA championships on the 2008 national championship team.
In 1995, Tappin became Arizona’s first women’s NCAA swimmer to win two titles in a season, in the 50 and 200 freestyle. She was part of USA gold medal relay teams in 1992 and 2000.
When Arizona was in the AIAW – the female version of the NCAA – she set seven UA records in seven events, winning two AIAW titles in 1982 and earning election into the UA Sports Hall of Fame.
A 15-time All-American, Jackson, who won a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, also won NCAA titles in distance events in 1997 and 1998.
This is how good Chandler was at Arizona: at the 2008 NCAA finals, won by the Wildcats, she was part of two national title-winning relay teams and finished third in the 100 breaststroke. By the end of her UA career, she was a 14-time All-American.
A three-time NCAA individual champion and the 2015 Pac-12 Woman of the Year.
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