Twelve-time Olympic medalist Natalie Couglin will be inducted into the Bay Area Hall of Fame this year.
The Vallejo, CA native attended Carondelet High School (in Concord, CA), and in 1998 became the first swimmer to qualify for Summer Nationals in all events. She also broke two individual national high school records in the 200 IM (1:58.45) and the 100 back (52.86).
Coughlin went on to win 12 NCAA titles with Cal from 2001-2004 and was named NCAA Swimmer of the Year for three consecutive years. She was a two-time recipient of the swimming and diving Honda Sports Award, and Sports Illustrated named her College Female Athlete of the Year.
As a post-grad, Coughlin qualified for the Olympics in 2004, 2008 and 2012. She won five individual Olympic medals and seven as a member of relays, setting multiple world records along the way.
The 37-year-old, who returned from a nearly three-year hiatus to race in the International Swimming League last season after having her first child in 2018, was inducted into the Cal Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Pac-12 Hall of Honor in 2018.
Among the other inductees in the 2020 BASHOF class are former Oakland Athletics left fielder Rickey Henderson – who holds the MLB record for steals, runs and leadoff home runs – and former longtime San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who retired last year after leading the team to three World Series titles. Former San Francisco 49er Bryant Young and world champion sailor Paul Cayard will also be inducted in 2020.
Wow, Ricky Henderson and Coughlin just now getting selected? Seems they are a bit behind there getting deserving people into their hall of fame. Did Joe Montana just get in last year? I wonder if Barry Bonds got into this hall of fame….
But Congrats to Coughlin, no one deserves it more than her.