The Wisconsin Swimming LSC inducted its first-ever class into the Wisconsin Swimming Hall of Fame on Saturday in Brookfield. The event took place as part of the Wisconsin Swimming Annual Awards Banquet, where 2016 Olympic champion Kelsi Worrell was invited as the feature speaker.
The class includes 3-time Paralympic champion Kelley Becherer among a group of 3 Paralympians, as well as Olympic champions Jim Montgomery, Neil Walker, Garrett Weber-Gale, and Wendy Boglioli.
2018 Hall of Fame Class
- Kelley Becherer
- Wendy Boglioli
- Alex Dionne
- Tom Miazga
- Jim Montgomery
- Neil Walker
- Garrett Weber-Gale
Brief Bios:
- Kelley Becherer is a 3-time Paralympic gold medalist to go with 4 Paralympic bronze medals, and 4 World Championships. She represented the U.S. at the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Paralympic Games, competing in the S13 class, most successfully in the sprint freestyle events. Becherer grew up in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
- Wendy Boglioli from Land O’ Lakes, Wisconsin swam on the American team at the 1976 Olympic Games. There she was on the American gold-medal winning, World-Record breaking 400 free relay with Shirley Babashoff, Kim Peyton, and Jill Sterkel – the only gold won by the U.S. women at those East-German ruled Olympics. She also took bronze in the 100 fly. She would go on to win U.S. Masters Track Cycling National Championships in 1995 and 1996.
- Alex Dionne represented the United States at several major international events, including the 2008 Paralympic Games. He won gold in the 400 free at the 2007 Parapan American Games in Rio, his first major international competition, and broke American Records in at least the 100 fly, 200 fly, 800 free, and 1500 free.
- Tom Miazga is a former American Record holder in several events, and when he retired in 2015, he was the S8 American Record holder in the 50 free, 100 free, 50 back, 100 back, and 200 back in short course yards. He grew up swimming in Wisconsin and now coaches at Ozaukee Aquatics, one of the best clubs in the state.
- Jim Montgomery was born in Madison, Wisconsin and trained under the legendary Doc Counsilman at Indiana when he won 7 gold medals at the 1973, 1975, and 1978 World Championships, and 3 gold medals at the 1976 Olympics. That includes an individual win in Montreal in the 100 free to go with a pair of free relay wins.
- Neil Walker, from Verona, Wisconsin, won 4 Olympic relay medals in his career, including gold as a prelims swimmer on the American 400 medley relays (first as the backstroker, second as the freestyler). At the 2000 Short Course World Championships, he set short course World Records sin the 50 back, 100 back, and 100 IM. He is currently the head coach of Rockwall Aquatics Center near Dallas.
- Garrett Weber-Gale was immortalized at the 2008 Olympic Games for his role in Michael Phelps 8-gold-medal performance. Weber-Gale was in the prelims group of the 400 medley relay and the finals group of the 400 free relay, allowing him to appear in a number of iconic photographs after the Jason-Lezak-come-from-behind swim. Individually, he was the 2006 NCAA Champion in the 100 free, was an American Record holder in 2008 in the 50 free (21.47), and in 2003, while swimming for Nicolet High School, broke the National Public High School Record in the 100 yard free (43.91).
Why not Jay Mortenson? Seems like a strange omission .
My guess is (no inside info) that they wanted to draw a line somewhere. There’s always a bit of “catching up” to do when Halls of Fame first open up, lest ye make the first class monstrous. I would guess Jay will be in next year or in the very near future.