Convent of the Sacred Heart gave a rousing welcome to their “Sacred Heart sisters” U.S. Olympic swimmers Katie Ledecky, a freestyle gold medalist, and Lia Neal, a bronze medal relay winner, on January 14.
The two elite athletes visited Convent of the Sacred Heart on King Street on Monday morning. They Olympians were lead into the Veronique Dubois Gymnasium by the school’s varsity team captains as the entire 775 student body cheered and waved small American flags. The two Olympic stars accustomed to the international spotlight at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London appeared surprised by the enthusiastic greeting. They remarked that the reception was “bigger” than they imagined, and Lia Neal said they felt like one big “family.”
The Olympic medalists are high school students at sister schools of Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich.
Katie Ledecky is a sophomore at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda, Maryland. She is the 15-year-old gold medalist who thrilled crowds at the Summer Olympics in London as the youngest swimmer on the U.S. team. She specializes in freestyle events and won the gold in the 800-meter freestyle with the second-fastest swim of all time. She is currently the American record holder in the 800-meter freestyle.
Lia Neal, a senior at Convent of the Sacred Heart in New York City, won a bronze medal swimming the third leg of the women’s 4x100-meter freestyle relay. She and her teammates — Missy Franklin, Jessica Hardy and Allison Schmitt — took the bronze in 3 minutes 34.24 seconds, finishing behind Australia (3:33.15) and the Netherlands (3:33.79). Swimming the third leg, Neal pushed her team to set an American record.
Katie and Lia sported their Team USA jackets and displayed their Olympic medals at the assembly for students and faculty. “We are very proud to host these outstanding Olympic athletes and prouder still that they are Sacred Heart students,” said Head of School Pamela Juan Hayes. “They have inspired our students to set personal goals and to reach for the stars.”
The swimmers were introduced by Kelly Stone, Sacred Heart’s athletic director. “Millions of girls jump in a pool. Most of those millions go on to take swim lessons,” said Ms. Stone. “Of all of those millions, who have been in a pool, in the history of the modern Olympics, very few swimmers qualify to represent the United States and an even smaller number win an Olympic medal. Today, we have the extra ordinary pleasure of having two of them here with us!”
