Paige Wilson Penze is an Athens, GA native who grew up swimming for Athens Bulldog Swim Club before going on to swim for the University of Georgia in the early 1990’s. At the age of 17, Penze became the first ever Olympic Trials qualifier for Athens Bulldog Swim Club. In high school, she set state records in the 100 Backstroke three years in a row and in the 100 butterfly two years in a row.

At UGA, Penze earned SEC Championship titles in the 100 butterfly in 1991 and 1992, and the 200 backstroke in 1992. Penze earned multiple All-American honors and still holds two Top 10 times at UGA, in the 200 backstroke and 200 butterfly. She was the 1991 National Champion in the 200m backstroke and 100m butterfly. Penze went on to earn two more National Championship titles over the next two years.

Penze became a Women’s NCAA Post-Graduate Scholar, an award achieved by only 30 female athletes, from any sport, across the entire NCAA each year, for her outstanding academic performance.

Career Highlights

• 1993 Pan-Pacific Team
• 1993 World University Games Team
• NCAA Post-Graduate Scholar
• 8x All-American
• 13x All-American Honorable Mentions