Robert “Pete” Higgins-2011

Robert “Pete” Higgins has been coaching swimming at Westminster High School since 1960. Higgins was inducted into the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame in 2016. He has also been selected as the National High School Coaches Association State Coach of the Year six times, Region 7 Coach of the Year three times, and National High School Federation Coach of the Year twice in 1989 and 2008. Higgins has been inducted into the Georgia High School Association “Circle of Excellence”. In addition to coaching, Higgins is the founding president of the Georgia Swimming Coaches Association and a board member for the International Swimming Hall of Fame. The City of Atlanta officially proclaimed January 5 to be “Pete Higgins Day” in 1990.

Career Highlights

• Led the Wildcats to over 40 Georgia High School Association (GHSA) state championships
• Coached over 140 National High School All-America athletes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo1BaqERNZY[/embed]

Steve Lundquist-2011

Steve Lundquist is a 1984 Olympic gold medalist in the 100m breaststroke and 4x100m medley relay and the first man to break two minutes in the 200y breaststroke. A Georgia native, Lundquist graduated from Jonesboro High School where he went on to earn his BBA from Southern Methodist University (SMU) in 1984. While earning his degree, Lundquist also found success in the pool. Lundquist was chosen by Swimming World Magazine as the 1981 and 1982 World Swimmer of the Year. In 1982, he set a world record in the 100m breaststroke and held it for nearly seven years. Although the United States did not participate in the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, Lundquist was recognized as an honorary member of the Olympic Team. He went on to earn two gold medals at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. In 1987, Lundquist joined Swim Across America in its efforts to fight cancer by supporting cancer research through open water swimming events. He has since been involved in every Swim Across America event in Atlanta since its inception in 2013. Lundquist was inducted into both the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1990. At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Lundquist had the honor of being a flagbearer and torch runner. Over the course of his career, Lundquist earned a total of two Olympic gold medals, nine World Records, and two American Records.

Career Highlights

• 1980 Honorary USA Olympic Team (USA did not attend the Olympics in Moscow.)
• 1984 USA Olympic Team 2x gold medalist in the 100m breaststroke and 400m medley relay
• 1983 World Games 2x gold medalist
• 1979 Pan-Am Games 3x gold medalist
• 1983 Pan-Am Games 2x gold medalist, 2x bronze medalist
• 1983 World Record holder in the 100 breaststroke

Sheila Taormina-2011

Sheila Taormina is first female athlete to qualify for the Olympics in three different sports: swimming, triathlon, and modern pentathlon. Taormina grew up swimming and represented the University of Georgia, captaining the team in 1991. It wasn’t until after Taormina completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from UGA in 1994 that she set her eyes on the Olympics and began training in her hometown of Livonia, Michigan while also pursuing a full-time career in the automotive industry. Taormina’s first Olympic appearance was at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta at the age of 27, followed by the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Taormina earned a gold medal at the Atlanta Games as part of the 800m freestyle relay, where the relay also set an Olympic Record. Between her four Olympic experiences, she has covered the disciplines of swimming, cycling, running, pistol shooting, fencing, and equestrian show jumping. In 2015, Taormina was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.

Career Highlights

• 1996 USA Olympic Team gold medalist in the 800m freestyle relay
• 2000 and 2004 USA Olympic Team (triathlon)
• 2008 USA Olympic Team (modern pentathlon)
• 13x All-American
• SEC Champion in the 400m Individual Medley

Doug Gjertsen-2011

Doug Gjertsen is a two-time Olympian who swam for SwimAtlanta and the University of Texas Longhorns. Gjertsen began swimming in Georgia in 1976 and was one of the first families to join Swim Atlanta in 1977, the year of its inception. In 1984, Gjertsen held the National Record for the men’s 15-16-year-old 200y backstroke. While with the Longhorns from 1987-1990, Gjertsen earned multiple individual and relay NCAA title championships. He was also part of the 1988, 1989, and 1990 Longhorn’s NCAA Championship team under Eddie Reese. Gjertsen’s Olympic experiences took him to the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul and 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, where he earned two gold medals and one bronze, respectively. He was a member of the 1989 Pac-Pacific team and 1991 World Championship team, where he earned medals in both competitions. In 2006, Gjertsen was inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor.

Gjertsen went on to coach with SwimAtlanta in 1993. Since then, he has coached Junior and Senior National finalists and champions, over 100 athletes who went on to swim collegiately, Olympic Trials qualifiers spanning from 1996-2016, and most notably, 3x Olympian Amanda Weir.

Career Highlights

• 1988 USA Olympic Team 2x gold medalist
• 1992 USA Olympic Team bronze medalist
• 1989 Pan-Pacific 3x gold medalist and bronze medalist
• 1991 World Championship gold and silver medalist
• 13x NCAA Champion (3x individual, 10x relay)
• American and World Record holder

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jimbxQY17yI[/embed]

Jennifer (Chandler) Stevenson-2011

Jennifer (Chandler) Stevenson was the 3-meter springboard diving gold medalist at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal at the age of 17. An Alabama native, Chandler began swimming with the Mountain Brook Swim Club coached by Carlos de Cubas. At first, she began as a swimmer until de Cubas convinced her to switch to diving. Chandler competed in the AAU Junior Olympics at the age of 12 where she not only won but was also named Most Outstanding Athlete. When de Cubas moved to Atlanta, Chandler followed to continue training and attended school as Westminster High School. Eventually, Chandler began training with Ron O’Brien who led her to the 1975 Pan-Am Games and 1976 Olympic Games. Chandler has been inducted into the International Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame (1987), the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame (1985), and the Calhoun County Sports Hall of Fame (2009). She was also honored as a torchbearer at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Career Highlights

• 1976 USA Olympic Team gold medalist in the 3-meter springboard
• 1975 Pan-Am Games gold medalist
• 1978 World Aquatics Championships bronze medalist
• 7x National Champion in the 1 and 3-meter springboard