Leigh Ann Fetter

Last updated
Leigh Ann Fetter
Personal information
Full nameLeigh Ann Fetter
National teamUnited States
Born (1969-05-23) May 23, 1969 (age 54)
Louisville, Kentucky
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight134 lb (61 kg)
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Freestyle
ClubLakeside Swim Club
Louisville, Ky.
College team University of Texas
Coach Mark Schubert
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing the United States
World Championships (LC)
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1991 Perth 50 m freestyle
Pan Pacific Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1989 Tokyo 4x100 m medley
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1989 Tokyo 50 m freestyle

Leigh Ann Fetter (born May 23, 1969), later known by her married name Leigh Ann Witt, is an American former competition swimmer and accomplished coach who represented the United States at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. [1]

Contents

Early life and swimming

Leigh Ann Fetter was born to Sherl and Rose Fetter in Louisville, Kentucky and grew up in Louisville's East End neighborhood, where she was a member of Lakeside Swim Club. She spent several summers beginning as a child of eight swimming for Louisville's Douglass Hills swim team, where she would later coach. She did not begin competitive year-round swimming until her Sophomore year, for Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville, where she attended High School. [2]

She swam with the Lakeside Seahawks Team as a High School Junior, at Louisville's Lakeside Swim Club, a large club originally founded in 1924 in a rock quarry. [3] [4] She began to excel in swimming at Lakeside as a Junior and as a Senior under Head Coach Monty Hopkins, colleges began to take notice when she finished sixth in the Senior National Championships. [2] She won the Kentucky State Swimming Championships in the 50-yard free in both 1986 and 1987, and in the 100-yard free in 1987. [5] Her 1987 record Kentucky High School Time in the 50-yard freestyle was 23.96 seconds. [6]

1988 Seoul Olympics

She finished fifth in the final of the women's 50-meter freestyle in a time of 25.78 seconds. [1] She came closer to receiving a medal than known in the immediate results, as three competitors to finish above her were later disqualified after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. [7]

University of Texas swimming

Fetter attended the University of Texas at Austin, and swam for the Texas Longhorns swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1987 to 1991. During her college years, she was coached primarily by Texas's head Women's Coach Mark Schubert, a Hall of Fame and Olympic Coach. She won a total of seven NCAA titles while swimming for Texas, with four in the 50 free, and three in the 100 free, and retained the school record in the 50 free as of 2004. [7]

She was the first woman to ever swim the 50-yard freestyle in under 22 seconds, and won the NCAA individual national championship in the event four consecutive years. She was also a key points contributor to the Lady Longhorns' NCAA national team championships in 1988, 1990 and 1991. [8]

International compeitition

Fetter swam in the World Championships in 1991 in Perth, Australia, winning a silver medal in the 50 free. [9] In the 1989 Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo, she won a gold in the 4 x 100 meter medley relay, and a bronze in her signature event, the 50-meter freestyle. She received a Gold in the 1990 Good Will Games. [10]

Coaching swimming

College coaching

After completing her competitive swimming years, she was an Assistant Coach for Florida State beginning in the Fall of 1993 and was later named Head Coach of the Women's Swimming and Diving Team at James Madison in September 1995. [7] [10] [11] [12]

Coaching at Douglass Hills

By 1999 she returned to her hometown to coach Louisville's Douglass Hills Team. In the winter months she coached the Louisville Tritons Swim Club. Douglass Hills was a competitive age group team with over a hundred swimmers in the Louisville Swim Association Summer League, and met around seven or eight weeks in the summer. [7] She won a number of the League's Summer Championships, including eight in a row between 1999-2007. [3] [7] Fetter-Whitt's Douglass Hill's Team also won the Red Division Title from 2000-2003, an honor given to the largest team leagues. By 2004, her two daughters also swam for the team and Leigh Ann competed during meet halftimes with a swim team composed of several of Douglass Hill's parents. [7]

Lincoln Southwest High School

From around 2015-2019, she coached Lincoln Southwest High School in Lincoln, Nebraska leading the team to three consecutive state championships from 2016-2018. [13] Lincoln's team's first swimming and diving championship was in 2014, which was also the first swim and dive championship for a Lincoln school since 1999. [14] In 2017 the girls' swimming team was first at state, and set five individual state records for individual events. [15] Dominating the state championships in 2017, Lincoln Girls scored a meet record number of points and for the second straight year won nine of eleven events. [16] During this period, she also coached the Greater Nebraska Swim Team, as did her husband Mike Witt, who also coached Lincoln Pius X, a rival swim team. [17]

Alamo Area Aquatics

In September 2019, Leigh Ann accepted a position as the Head Age Group Coach at Alamo Area Aquatics Association - Northside where she managed swimming at one of America's most modern facilities. [18]

Honors

In recognition of her Collegiate NCAA championships, she received the Honda Sports Award for Swimming and Diving, recognizing her as the outstanding college female swimmer of the year in 1990–91. [19] She was inducted into the University of Texas Longhorn Hall of Honor in 2003. [20]

She was later inducted into the Texas Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame in Austin. [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

Kara Lynn Joyce, is an American former competition swimmer and four-time Olympic silver medalist. She competed as a member of the United States Olympic Team at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Schubert</span> American swim coach

Mark Schubert is an American Hall of Fame swim coach best known as the primary coach of Southern California's premier competitive swim club, the Mission Viejo Nadadores from 1972-1985, and 2016-2022. He was a long serving Olympic coach (1984-2008) and head swimming coach for the University of Texas women (1989-1992) and University of Southern California (1992-2006), taking his teams to three NCAA National titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Linn</span> American swimmer

Jeremy Porter Linn is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic medalist, world record-holder and current swim coach. Linn set an American record in the 100-meter breaststroke while winning the silver medal in that event at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, in a time of 1:00.77. With a burst of speed in the final stretch, he finished just .12 seconds behind the gold medal winner from Belgium who had previously set the World Record.

Scott Daniel Goldblatt is an American former competition swimmer and Olympic gold medalist who specialized in freestyle events. While swimming primarily in the lead position of the 4 x 200 freestyle relay, Goldblatt took a gold and silver in the 2000, and 2004 Olympics and a silver and bronze medal in the 2001 and 2003 World Aquatics Championships. He also performed well in the 2005 Maccabiah Games in Israel, winning several medals.

Caroline Stilwell Axel Burckle is an American former competition swimmer and Olympic bronze medalist.

Rachel Komisarz, also known by her married name Rachel Komisarz-Baugh, is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, and former world record-holder. She began swimming when she was a senior at Warren Mott high school because of a gymnastics injury that left her with two fractured vertebrae. Komisarz swam at the University of Kentucky and became a seven-time All American swimmer and three-time SEC Champion by the end of her four years at the university. Not only was Komisarz very dedicated to swimming while at the University of Kentucky, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Education and a Kinesiology major with an emphasis in exercise.

Christopher Clark Burckle Jr. is an American competition swimmer who specializes in breaststroke and medley events. He competed in the 200-meter breaststroke at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Andrew Douglas Gemmell is an American competition swimmer who specialized in long-distance freestyle events. He swam for the University of Georgia, helping then to place 5th in the NCAA in 2014, and was a member of the 2012 United States Olympic Team, where he competed in the 1,500-meter freestyle event at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. At the Olympics, he finished ninth with a time of 14:59:05, missing the semi-finals by one place. He took several distance swimming medals, with a gold at the 5 km team event in the 2011 World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai, and took medals at the Pan Pacific Championships in 2014 and the Pan American Games in 2015 in the 1500 m, 5 km and 10 km events.

Jill Ann Sterkel is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, former world record-holder, and water polo player. Sterkel won four medals in three Olympic Games spanning twelve years. She was the women's head coach of the Texas Longhorns swimming and diving team at the University of Texas at Austin from 1992 to 2007.

Amanda Jo Adkins, later known by her married name Amanda Schneider, is an American former competition swimmer, an Ohio State Champion in the 100-meter backstroke, and a 2000 Atlanta Olympic competitor in the 200-meter backstroke. She swam for the SEC Championship University of Georgia swim team from 1995-1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renee Magee</span> American swimmer

Holly Renee Magee, also known by her married name Renee Tucker, was an American former competition swimmer who represented the United States in the 100 meter backstroke at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec. In 1976, in Austin, Texas, she set a National High School Record in the 100-yard backstroke. She would later work as a District Attorney and be elected to serve as a Judge in Houston's 337th District Court from 2013-16.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelsi Dahlia</span> American swimmer (born 1994)

Kelsi Worrell Dahlia is a former American competitive swimmer specializing in butterfly and freestyle events. At the 2018 World Championships, Dahlia won nine total medals of which seven were gold medals. She qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics in the 100-meter butterfly and won a gold medal in the 4 x 100-meter medley relay for swimming in the heats.

The Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame is a sports hall of fame for the U.S. state of Kentucky established in 1963. Individuals are inducted annually at a banquet in Louisville and receive a bronze plaque inside Louisville's Freedom Hall. The Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame other wise known as the Kentucky Sports Hall of fame, is a non-profit organization funded by the Kentucky Lottery and owned and operated by the Louisville Sports Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1991 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships</span>

The 1991 NCAA Women's Division I Swimming and Diving Championships were contested at the 10th annual NCAA-sanctioned swim meet to determine the team and individual national champions of Division I women's collegiate swimming and diving in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships</span>

The 1990 NCAA Women's Division I Swimming and Diving Championships were contested at the seventh annual NCAA-sanctioned swim meet to determine the team and individual national champions of Division I women's collegiate swimming and diving in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra Walsh</span> American swimmer (born 2001)

Alexandra Walsh is an American competitive swimmer. She is known for her versatility in all four strokes that has allowed her to have success in medley events. Growing up, Walsh was a phenom who started setting national age group records starting at 12 in 2014. She led her high school team to multiple state and national championships. At the 2019 Pan American Games, she won three gold medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torri Huske</span> American swimmer

Victoria "Torri" Huske is an American swimmer. She is the current American record holder in both the 100-meter butterfly and the 50-meter butterfly. At the 2022 Fina World Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Huske, just 19, became one of only four American women in history to win six medals at a World Championships.

Katherine Cadwallader Douglass is an American swimmer. A versatile swimmer who competes in many events, Douglass won her first major international medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics with a bronze in the 200 m individual medley. She won three medals at the 2022 World Championships. She then won six medals, including two golds, at the 2023 World Championships.

Brooke Forde is an American swimmer.

Gretchen Walsh is a competitive American swimmer. She holds two world junior records in mixed gender relay events as well as American records in the 50 yard freestyle, 100 yard backstroke, 4×50 yard freestyle relay, 4×50 yard medley relay, 4×100 yard freestyle relay, and 4×100 yard medley relay. In 2022, she became the fastest female freshman to swim the 50 yard freestyle in the NCAA, with a time of 20.95 seconds, and earned the NCAA title in the 100 yard freestyle, with a time of 46.05 seconds, and the national title in the 100 meter butterfly. In 2023, she won the women's NCAA Division I title in the 100 yard backstroke, with an American record time of 48.26 seconds, and the 100 yard freestyle, with a 45.61. She won six gold medals at the 2019 World Junior Championships as well as five gold medals and one silver medal at the 2018 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. She competes collegiately for the University of Virginia.

References

  1. 1 2 Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes, Leigh Ann Fetter. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  2. 1 2 Early swimming history in Clark, Mark, "Making a Splash, Douglass's Hills' Leigh Ann Fetter", The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, 4 December 1991, pg. 90
  3. 1 2 "19 Teams Vie Saturday for LSA Swim Title", The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, 16 July 2008, pg. 112.
  4. ↑ "Lakeside", The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, 25 May 2020, pg. A4
  5. ↑ "The 50 Greatest Athletes From Sacred Heart", The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, 18 August 2019, pg. B5.
  6. ↑ Frakes, Jason, "Thomas Leading Manual", The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, 9 February 2010, pg. C4
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Began in 1999 in Casagrade, Michael, "Former World Class Swimmer is Back", The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, 5 July 2004, pg. E1
  8. ↑ "National Championship moments: 1991 Women's Swimming and Diving". University of Texas Athletics. 25 September 2006. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  9. ↑ "Volleyball", Lincoln Journal-Star, Lincoln, Nebraska, 4 October 2012, pg. C3
  10. 1 2 "Leigh Ann Fetter, Olympedia Bio". Olympedia. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  11. ↑ Started Florida State in 1993 in "Scoreboard, Transactions, Florida State", Hartford Courant, Hartford, Connecticut, 23 October 1993, pg. 111
  12. ↑ Named Head Coach at James Madison in "Colleges, James Madison", The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, pg. 13, 12 September 1996
  13. ↑ "Swimming & Diving". nsaahome.org. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
  14. ↑ "NSAA Girls Swimming Past Champions". nsaa-static.s3.amazonaws.com. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
  15. ↑ "2017 State Swimming and Diving Championship". NET.
  16. ↑ Grell, Clark, "One Chapter Closes for Bub", Lincoln Journal Star, Lincoln, Nebraska, 27 February 2017, pg. B3
  17. ↑ Left in 2019 in "Mueller Promoted to Lead Southwest Swimmers", Lincoln Journal Star, Lincoln, Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, 4 October 2019, pg. C2
  18. 1 2 "Texas Swimming & Diving Hall of Fame, Leigh Ann Fetter-Witt". www.tsdhof.org. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
  19. ↑ Collegiate Women Sports Awards, Past Honda Sports Award Winners for Swimming & Diving. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Leigh Ann Fetter-Witt (2003) - Hall of Honor". University of Texas Athletics. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.