Courtesy: Georgia Tech Athletics
IRMO, S.C. – Georgia Tech Toni M. and Richard L. Bergmark swimming and diving head coach Courtney Shealy Hart will be a part of Irmo High School’s inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame Class and will be inducted at halftime of its Aug. 20 football game, it was announced this week.
“I’m incredibly thankful to Irmo High School for this honor,” Hart said. “Irmo is my hometown and where I started and it’s played a large part in who I am today. To be joining this group of 12 in Irmo’s inaugural athletics class is very exciting and I hope to be able to continue to make my hometown proud.”
Hart, a native of Irmo, S.C., won two Olympic gold medals in swimming (400 medley relay and 400 free relay) for the United States in 2000 after leading the University of Georgia to the NCAA team swimming championship in 1999 and 2000. In 2000, she was named the NCAA Female Swimmer of the Year after winning national titles in the 50 free, the 100 free and the 100 back. Hart also won NCAA titles in the 400 free and 400 medley relay.
After spending two seasons at Georgia Tech as an assistant coach, Hart assumed head coaching duties in 2009-10. With her at the helm, the swimming and diving program’s long list of accomplishments include:
- 10 NCAA All-Americans with 20 NCAA All-America honors;
- Nine individual ACC Championships;
- 26 All-ACC honors;
- Two ACC Most Valuable Swimmers;
- One ACC Swimmer of the Year;
- 129 CSCAA Scholar All-America honors;
- 56 Academic All-ACC selections;
- Countless school records broken.
Hart is also a member of the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame, the Irmo High School Hall of Fame, the Georgia Aquatic Hall of Fame, and the Georgia Circle of Honor.