BERKELEY – Despite an incredible roster of competition that features some of the top collegiate and international swimmers of all-time, former Cal star Natalie Coughlin still rises above them all when it comes to the legacy of Pac-12 Swimming.
That's why Monday the Pac-12 Conference announced she had been named the Pac-12 Women's Swimmer of the Century.
There is an impressive list of female Pac-12 swimmers who have racked up some extraordinary accomplishments. But Coughlin's are unparalleled. She is a three-time Olympian who has won 12 medals – more than any woman in U.S. history. Coughlin was an 11-time NCAA individual champion during her time at Cal from 2001-04, and was named NCAA Swimmer of the Year three times and the Honda Cup recipient twice. As an Olympian, she was the first woman ever to win back-to-back gold medals in the 100 backstroke. She was also the 2002 USA Swimming Athlete of the Year.
Coughlin was one of four Golden Bears represented on the Pac-12 All-Century Women's Swimming & Diving Team. Also receiving honors were Mary T. Meagher (1984-87), Dana Vollmer (2007-09) and Missy Franklin (2013-15).
Meagher was a six-time NCAA champion who won three gold medals at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, including record-setting times in the 100 and 200 butterfly. She was a three-time Olympian overall who twice won the Honda Award for swimming
Vollmer was the 2009 NCAA Swimmer of the Year and has appeared in two Olympic Games, winning three gold medals and setting the world record in the 100 butterfly. She won eight national titles at Cal and helped the Bears win their first-ever team championship.
Franklin won six NCAA titles at Cal and helped the Bears win the team championship in 2015. She was 2015 Swimmer of the Year and Honda Cup winner. At the 2012 Olympics, Franklin won five medals, including four golds. She set the world record in winning the 200 backstroke.
Karen Moe, who was the Bears' head coach from 1978-92, was also named to the team for her accomplishments as a swimmer for UCLA. Moe set the world record in the 200 butterfly at the 1972 Olympics.
PAC-12 ALL-CENTURY WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING ROSTER
Jenny Thompson – Stanford, 1991-95 (Freestyle Sprints)
Cynthia “Sippy” Woodhead – USC, 1984-87 (Freestyle Sprints)
Amy Van Dyken – Arizona, 1991-92 (Freestyle Distance)
Jenna Johnson – Stanford, 1985-89 (Freestyle Sprints)
Janet Evans – Stanford, 1989-91 (Freestyle Distance)
Debbie Meyer – UCLA (Freestyle Distance)
Lindsay Benko-Mitenko – USC, 1996-99 (Freestyle Distance)
Haley Anderson – USC, 2010-13 (Freestyle Distance)
Natalie Coughlin – Cal, 2001-04 (Backstroke, Freestyle Sprints)
Missy Franklin – Cal, 2013-15 (Backstroke, Freestyle Sprints)
Lea Loveless-Mauer – Stanford, 1991-94 (Backstroke)
Melissa Belote – Arizona State, 1976-79 (Backstroke)
Rebecca Soni – USC, 2006-09 (Breaststroke)
Amanda Beard – Arizona, 1999-2000 (Breaststroke)
Tara Kirk – Stanford, 2000-04 (Breaststroke)
Agnes Kovacs – Arizona State, 2001-04 (Breaststroke)
Mary T. Meagher – Cal, 1984-87 (Butterfly)
Dana Vollmer – Cal, 2007-09 (Butterfly)
Misty Hyman – Stanford, 1997-01 (Butterfly)
Karen Moe – UCLA, 1973-75 (Butterfly)
Crissy Ahmann – Arizona, 1988-91 (Butterfly)
Summer Sanders – Stanford, 1990-92 (Individual Medley, Butterfly)
Katinka Hosszu – USC, 2009-12 (Individual Medley)
Kristine Quance-Julian – USC, 1994-97 (Individual Medley, Breaststroke)
Donna de Varona – UCLA (Individual Medley)
Kaitlin Sandeno – USC, 2002-04 (Individual Medley)
Samantha Pickens – Arizona, 2011-15 (1M Diving)
Victoria Ishimatsu – USC, 2009-12 (1M Diving)
Blythe Hartley – USC, 2002-06 (1M, 3M Diving)
Eileen Richetelli – Stanford, 1990-95 (3M Diving)
Haley Ishimatsu – USC, 2013-15 (Platform Diving)
Michele Mitchell – Arizona, 1979-82 (Platform Diving)
Coach of the Century: Richard Quick – Stanford, 1988-2005
Swimmer of the Century: Natalie Coughlin – Cal, 2001-04
Diver of the Century: Michele Mitchell – Arizona, 1979-82
