Whitney Hedgepeth

Whitney Lynn Hedgepeth (born March 19, 1971) is an American former competition swimmer who won a gold and two silver medals at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Whitney Hedgepeth
Personal information
Full nameWhitney Lynn Hedgepeth
National teamUnited States
Born (1971-03-19) March 19, 1971
Charlottesville, Virginia
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight141 lb (64 kg)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle, backstroke, medley
ClubTexas Aquatics
College teamUniversity of Florida
University of Texas
Medal record
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 1 2 0
World Championships (LC) 1 0 0
Pan Pacific Championships 2 0 1
Pan American Games 1 1 0
Summer Universiade 2 1 1
Total 7 4 2
Women's Swimming
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place1996 Atlanta4x100 m medley
Silver medal – second place1996 Atlanta100 m backstroke
Silver medal – second place1996 Atlanta200 m backstroke
World Championships (LC)
Gold medal – first place1991 Perth4x100 m freestyle
Pan Pacific Championships
Gold medal – first place1991 Edmonton 4x100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place1991 Edmonton4x200 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place1995 Atlanta200 m backstroke
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place1987 Indianapolis4x200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place1987 Indianapolis 200 m freestyle
Summer Universiade
Gold medal – first place1993 Buffalo200 m backstroke
Gold medal – first place1993 Buffalo4x100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place1993 Buffalo200 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place1993 Buffalo200 m medley

Hedgepeth was born in Charlottesville, Virginia.[1] She reached the Olympic level as a swimmer for the Virginia Association for Competitive Swimming (VACS) under coach Dudley Duncan. Many Virginia Swimming LSC Records remain hers, over two decades later.

Hedgepeth initially attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where she competed for coach Randy Reese's Florida Gators swimming and diving team in 1989–90.[2] As a Gator swimmer, she won two NCAA national championships: the individual 200-meter freestyle, and as a member of the Gators' winning team in the 4×100-meter medley relay.[2] She received seven All-American honors from her performance at the 1990 NCAA championships.[2] Following her freshman year, she transferred to the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, and finished her NCAA career swimming for coach Jill Sterkel's Texas Longhorns swimming and diving team from 1992 to 1994.[3] As a Texas Longhorn swimmer, she won three more NCAA national championships and received another twenty All-American honors, for a career total of twenty-seven.[3]

She competed in the 200-meter individual medley at the 1988 Summer Olympics[4] in Seoul, South Korea, finishing eighth in the final. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, Hedgepeth won individual silver medals in the 100-meter backstroke[5] and 200-meter backstroke events,[6] and a gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. relay team in the women's 4×100-meter medley relay event.[7][8]

Hedgepeth retired from competition swimming after the Atlanta Games, and became a swimming coach with Longhorn Aquatics in Austin. Since 2005, she was the masters' coach of the Longhorn Aquatics program. In 2013, she was honored as the Speedo U.S. Masters Swimming Coach of the Year.

She was inducted into the University of Texas' Longhorns Hall of Honor in 2007.[9]

In 2010, Hedgepeth was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.[10]

Hedgepeth's daughter, Dakota Luther, swam at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships, and placed 15th in the 200 m butterfly.

See also

References
  1. "Olympedia – Whitney Hedgepeth". Olympedia. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  2. Florida Swimming & Diving 2011–12 Media Supplement Archived 2013-05-21 at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 61, 62, 64, 67, 69, 79 (2011). Retrieved July 9, 2012.
  3. 2009–10 Texas Swimming and Diving, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, pp. 66, 68–69, 75, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 83 (2009). Retrieved July 8, 2012.
  4. "Olympedia – Swimming at the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics, Women's 200 metres Individual Medley". Olympedia. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  5. "Olympedia – Swimming at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, Women's 100 metres Backstroke". Olympedia. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  6. "Olympedia – Swimming at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, Women's 200 metres Backstroke". Olympedia. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  7. "Olympedia – Swimming at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics – Women's 4 x 100 metres Medley Relay". Olympedia. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  8. databaseOlympics, Athletes, Whitney Hedgepeth Archived 2007-03-11 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  9. TexasSports.com, Texas Longhorns Women's Hall of Honor, Whitney Hedgepeth. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  10. Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, Inductees, Whitney Hedgepeth. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
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