Penny Lee Dean is an American long distance swimmer who began her career with her swim across frigid San Francisco bay at age 10. She is best known for having the fastest time for a woman to swim from Catalina to California in 7:15:55 in 1976, and the fastest time to swim the English Channel in 1978 in 7:40. Dean was born on March 21, 1955 in San Francisco, California, United States, to Joseph Edward and Frances (Von Hermann) Dean.

Education

In 1977, Dean completed her Bachelor in History from Pomona College in Claremont, California, then three years later in 1980 completed a Master of Science in Physical Education, from California Polytechnic Institute. Wanting to teach at a University, she finished the work for a Doctor of Education, at the United States Sports Academy at Daphne, Alabama, in 1996.

Catalina swimming record

Later, as a swimmer for

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became t ...

, she was a six-time All-American. By 1976, she had swum from the mainland of California to Catalina Island in the overall world record of 7:15:55 - 1.5 hours under the former record, and a record that still stands. The next year she set the world record from the island to the mainland on her way to a 40-mile double crossing of the Catalina Channel in 20:03.

English Channel swimming record

Dean is perhaps best known for her world record for the fastest swim across the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Ka ...

in 1978 in a time of 7:40, shattering the previous record by over 1 h and 5 mins. The record stood for both men and women until September 1995, when it was lowered to 7:17 by

Chad Hundeby Chad Hundeby (1970/1971 – June 12, 2021) was an American long-distance swimmer. As a child, he was a member of the Blue Buoy Swim School based in Southern California. In 1991, he won a gold medal in the men's 25 kilometres open water s ...

, whom Dean coached.

Swimming career

She continued her long-distance swimming career for another three years, winning at Windermere in England, Lake St. John, LaTugue, Lakes Memphremagog and Paspebiac in Quebec, and Atlantic City in New Jersey, setting women's world records in most of them. She was Women's World Professional Champion in 1979, accumulating 1,000 points over her next rival.

Coaching

Dean served as U.S. National Team Coach of Open Water Swimming from 1988 through 1991, Head Coach of U.S. teams to the 1991 Pan Pacific Championships, 1991 World Championships, 1982 and 1990 Windermere Championships, 1990 English Channel Race, 1984 and 1989 Catalina Channel Race and coach of nine solo Catalina Channel crossers.

Honors

Dean was admitted to the

International Swimming Hall of Fame The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests and serving as the central point for the stu ...

in 1996. She was an All American Coach, United States Swimming, 1984, 86, 89, and a recipient of the Hummer award, 1985. She was named Distinguished Coach/Master, College Swim Coaches in 1993. She was the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletics (chairman 1993-1996). Dean was forced to give up competition in the early 1980s when her doctors urged her to stop all exercise as years of swimming had taken its toll on her body. She taught as a professor of physical education and the women’s

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

and

water polo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with th ...

coach at Pomona College for over 25 years.

References

* Penny Lee Dean, ''Open Water Swimming'', Human Kinetics Publishers, 1998

External links

Article on Penny from News@Pomona

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dean, Penny Lee Place of birth missing (living people) Living people American long-distance swimmers Female long-distance swimmers English Channel swimmers Pomona College alumni Sportspeople from Ithaca, New York American swimming coaches Pomona College faculty 1955 births