Hansen: Swimmer Nymeyer as close to a perfect Wildcat as they come

Oct. 18, 2009: Tucson’s Lacey Nymeyer named NCAA Woman of the Year

If someone ever commissions an artist to draw a portrait of the Perfect Arizona Wildcat, one of the first calls will be to Lacey Nymeyer.

Without any editorial comment, here are the numbers:

• Her GPA at Arizona was 3.89.
• She won the NCAA swimming title in the 100 freestyle.
• She was team captain of Arizona’s 2008 national championship team.
• She won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
• She was the Pac-10 women’s swimmer of the year
• She championed the UA’s CATS life-skills program, working at volunteer centers, speaking at charitable events and to youth groups.

Here’s some editorial comment: Nymeyer, who was a state championship swimmer at Mountain View High School with a 3.99 GPA, is on a short list as the most accomplished women’s athlete in Tucson history.

How short? You’ll never count to five.

In the summer of 2009, Nymeyer was one of 130 nominees as NCAA Woman of the Year. It is the Heisman Trophy of women’s college sports.

By October, the list of 130 was pared to 30 finalists. They gathered in downtown Indianapolis and Nymeyer was so impressed with the credentials of the other 29 finalist that she said “you can picture any of the girls winning it; they are all so incredible.”

The NCAA’s Woman of the Year award is determined by athletic achievement, academic performance and community service.

The granddaughter of former UA career basketball scoring leader Ed Nymeyer, nicknamed “Pearl” by UA coach Frank Busch, was much more than a pearl that night. She was gold.

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“When they called her name, Lacey was so overcome she almost couldn’t get out of her chair,” Busch said.

Nymeyer, ever modest, limited her acceptance speech to a brief 1 minute 55 seconds.

After acknowledging her coaches and parents, she said: “I love being an Arizona Wildcat. I love it, I love it, and I love swimming for it and training for it and I love wearing those red and blue colors.”

In the audience, Busch fought back tears.

“I was thinking about how much Lacey has grown since I met her,” he said. “She has come out of her shell but she kept her humility. No wonder she won.”

Nymeyer began swimming at 6. By 9, she was devoted to becoming a champion.

Current UA head coach Rick DeMont, then an Arizona assistant coach, had known Nymeyer for most of her life. His daughter, Angela, and Lacey swam in the same age-group pool in Oro Valley. Even a former world record-holder such as DeMont cannot predict Olympic glory from 15 years out, but he saw a special something in Nymeyer.

“I remember the little tiny thing whose swim cap was too big, but she was a tiger from the beginning,” he said. “I don’t remember how many times I’ve seen her be the first to touch the wall. I’ve lost count.”

Where are they now? Nymeyer, 30, married former Eastern Arizona College basketball player Chandler John; they have a 3-year-old daughter, Juniper. Lacey, who now goes by Lacey Nymeyer John, has returned to her alma mater and works as an assistant athletic director for community relations, special events and life skills.

How they did it: At the 2008 NCAA championships in Columbus, Ohio, Nymeyer scored 52 points, including being part of three Arizona relay teams that won national titles. On the Fourth of July, 2008, in Omaha, Nebraska, she qualified for the 2008 USA Olympic team.