Kate Ziegler

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Kate Ziegler (born June 27, 1988 in Fairfax, Virginia) is a distance swimmer from the United States, who won two golden medals at the 2005 World Aquatics Championships in Montréal and the same two events at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships in Melbourne. She is also the second woman in history to break the 16 minute barrier in the 1500 meter freestyle in 15:55.01. She is coached by Ray Benecki, and for the team "FISH". Due to her performance at the World Championships, in which she came first in the 800 and 1500 m freestyle, she was selected for the USA "A" national team. Ziegler made her international debut at the 2004 FINA Short Course World Championships in Indianapolis. She graduated from Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School on June 1, 2006.

Contents 1 High school swimming 2 Nationals 3 International swimming 4 Rankings 5 Records

[edit] High school swimming

At O'Connell, Ziegler excelled throughout her 4 years, earning 4-time Washington Post All-Meet honors, including being Swimmer of the Year on more than one occasion. As a freshman, she finished 3rd in the 200y freestyle (1:51.59) and won the 500y freestyle (4:47.78) at the 2003 Metros Swimming and Diving Championships, breaking the then-15-year-old record in the 500 held by Pam Minthorn. She also anchored O'Connell's 200y freestyle (24.51 split) and 400y freestyle (53.65 split) to 7th and 6th place finishes, respectively. The following year, as a sophomore, she won both the 200y freestyle (1:48.15) and the 500y freesytle (4:41.91) in record time, and anchored the winning 200y freestyle (24.14 split) and 3rd place 400y freestyle (51.63 split) relays. Her times continued to drop rapidly, and as a junior she again won both the 200y freestyle (1:47.43) and 500y freestyle (4:37.67) in record time, the latter being an Independent National High School record. As a senior, she continued to excel, tying the National High School record in the 200y free (1:45.49) and breaking Janet Evans' National Record in the 500y free (4:30.35).

In December 2005, at the Tom Dolan Invitational Meet, she swam a 9:24.80 in the 1000y freestyle, breaking Evans' 17-year-old record in that event. Again in December 2006, she swam the Tom Dolan Invitational Meet, and broke Janet Evans' 16-year-old record in the 1650 freestyle, making the new American Record 15:37.17.

[edit] Nationals

Olympic Trials: 4th 800m free (8:30.92), 5th 400m free (4:12.12), 41st 200m free (2:04.65)
Summer 2004: 1st 400m free (4:12.06), 1st 1500m free (16:22.03), 2nd 800m free (8:33.24), 10th 200m free (2:03.56)
World Champs Trials: 1st 800m free (8:34.83), 1st 1500m free (16:26.59), 3rd 400m free (4:12.09), 12th 200m free (2:02.07)
Summer 2005: 1st 800m free (8:31.11), 1st 1500m free (16:14.52), 2nd 400m free (4:10.41), 9th 200m free (2:01.49)
Spring 2006: 1st 200m free (2:00.43), 1st 800m free (8:34.56)
Summer 2006: 1st 400m free (4:05.75, Championship Record), 2nd 800m free (8:27.65), 10th 200m free (2:00.35)

Total titles, including Trials: 9, 200m free (SPR 06), 400m free (SUM 04, SUM 06), 800m free (WCT, SUM 05, SPR 06), 1500m free (SUM 04, WCT, SUM 05)

[edit] International swimming

In 2005, Ziegler won the 800m (8:25.31) and 1500m (16:00.41) at Worlds in Montreal. The latter time made her the third-fastest woman (and second American) in the history of the event, following only world-record holder Janet Evans's 15:52.10 and German Hannah Stockbauer's 16:00.18. She qualified for Worlds after winning the 800m at World Trials in Indianapolis with a time of 8:34.83. She failed to qualify in the 400m, finished 3rd in a time of 4:12.09.

She won the 400m freestyle in the 2005 Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool with a time of 4:08.97.

In February 2005, at the FINA World Cup stop in New York, Ziegler won the 800m in 8:16.32, breaking Sippy Woodhead's 25-year-old American Record in that event, which at the time was the oldest American record on the books.

At the 2004 Short Course Worlds, she placed 2nd to Japan's Sachiko Yamada in the 800m freestyle with a time of 8:20.55. Her 400m split would have placed her 4th in that event.

[edit] Rankings

2004: 26th, 400m free; 11th, 800m free; 1st, 1500m free
2005: 72nd, 200m free; 11th, 400m free; 1st, 800m free; 1st, 1500m free

Her 2:00.35 200m freestyle is just shy of placing her in the top 25 all-time Americans in that event, just shy of Lisa Jacob's 2:00.24 from 1996. Her 4:05.75 400m freestyle stands, as of 8/7/2006, the 9th fastest swim of all-time and puts her as the 4th fastest swimmer ever in this event, and the 2nd American behind Janet Evans.
Her 8:25.31 800m freestyle places her as the 19th fastest swimmer of all-time and 7th American.
Her 15:55.01 1500m freestyle is the 2nd fastest swim all-time,her along with Haley Peirsol and Janet Evans are the only Americans to make it under the 16 minute mark. She is 2nd to swimming legend Janet Evans.

[edit] Records

American Record in 500y free (4:29.35), 800m free (8:16.short course meters), 1000y free (9:16.80), and 1650 free (15:26.17).

NAG 15-16 1000y free (9:25.51), 1650y free (15:37.17)
NAG 17-18 500y free (4:29.35), 1000y free (9:16.80)

Her most recent records were set at the 2006 Tom Dolan Invintational, there she broke both of Janet Evans' distance records (SCY). With her time of 15:37.17, she broke Janet Evans’ former record of 15:39.14, set on March 17, 1990 in Austin, Texas. Her time of 9:21.57 in the 1000y free shattered the previous mark of 9:24.80, which Ziegler set last year at this same meet. Her times was also a U.S. open records and the 17-18 age group records. Ziegler now owns all three of the distance records (SCY)previously held by Evans.