- Dana Schoenfield
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Medal record Women’s swimming Competitor for the United States Olympic Games Silver 1972 Munich 200 m breaststroke Dana Lee Schoenfield is an American swimmer who partipicated in the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich, Germany and won a silver medal in the 200 metre breaststroke.
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Early life
Dana was born in Harvey, Illinois and spent her childhood in Schererville, Indiana. She first learned to swim at the local Sherwood Golf and Swim Club, where she began to excel in the breaststroke. Her family relocated to Anaheim, California in 1963 where Dana, along with her brother Michael, actively swam on the Disneyland Hotel Swim Team. She qualified for the Women's Senior National Championships in the 200 meter breaststroke at age 12 years, the youngest swimmer to participate. At 14 years, Dana was the second fastest Women's 200 meter breaststroke swimmer in the country, and just missed making the 1968 U.S. Olympic Team. She would have been the youngest swimmer on the U.S. Team. After semi-retiring for the next 3 years, she was a varsity cheerleader for Loara High School in Anaheim, California.
1972 Summer Olympic Games
After graduation, Dana, along with her swim coach Ray Woods, began a 1-year regimen of serious training in an effort to make the 1972 Olympic Team. At the 1972 Chicago Olympic Swimming Trials, she qualified first in the 200 m breaststroke, with a personal best time of 2:43.7. At the Munich Olympic Games, Dana was not expected to 'medal' as she had just the 4th fastest time/ranking for 1972. She placed fourth in the qualifying heats, and was in lane 6 for the Munich final. With her swim idol, [[Galina Prozumenschikova-Stepanova] of Russia swimming in lane 3, Dana out-touched Stepanova with a time of 2:42.03, another personal best. Beverly Whitfield of Australia, on the outside #7 lane, beat Dana for the gold medal at 2:41.7.
College career
After the Munich Olympic Games, Dana attended UCLA where she helped start the Women's Swim Team under the auspices of the AIAW. In 1973, she qualified for the World University Games in Moscow, Russia. Afterward, retiring from swimming, Dana was selected to the 1975-76 UCLA Spirit Squad as a Songgirl/Dance Team member, where she performed at the 1976 Rose Bowl (UCLA vs. Ohio St.), and the NCAA men's basketball Final Four in Philadelphia, PA (UCLA vs. Indiana, Michigan). She met her husband, Bob Reyes, a UCLA football player, when they shared their first kiss after the Rose Bowl win!
Later years
Dana Schoenfield Reyes and Bob Reyes now reside in Dana Point, CA.
References
- Kubatko, Justin. "Dana Schoenfield Biography and Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sc/dana-schoenfield-1.html. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
Categories:- Olympic swimmers of the United States
- People from Anaheim, California
- People from Orange County, California
- Swimmers at the 1972 Summer Olympics
- Living people
- Olympic medalists in swimming
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