Janna Wendy Wyland (November 25, 1964 – September 27, 2003) was a female diver from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. More commonly known as Wendy Wyland, she represented her native country at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, winning the bronze medal in the Women's 10m Platform competition. Two years earlier, she won the world title in the same event.

Biography

Wyland was born in Jackson, Michigan to parents Vernon and Beth Wyland. Her family moved to Penfield, New York, where she was coached in diving by Betty Perkins-Carpenter from the age of six. When she was 14, she moved to Mission Viejo, California to train under Hall of Fame coach Ron O’Brien. She competed as a member of the Mission Viejo Nadadores Diving Team. While attending Florida Atlantic University at Boca Raton, Florida, Wyland trained for the 1988 Olympics at Mission Bay under O'Brien and alongside fellow athletes Greg Louganis, Michele Mitchell and Kent Ferguson. Wyland was ''Swimming World'' magazine's World Platform Diver of the Year in 1982 and 1983. She moved back to

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in W ...

in the mid-1990s, where she ran the Webster Aquatic Center and then was the head swimming and diving coach pool manager at

Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private research university in the town of Henrietta in the Rochester, New York, metropolitan area. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional ...

. She died unexpectedly in

. An annual competition, The Wendy Wyland Invitational, bears her name in memorial. Wyland was engaged to Chad Anthony Lucero in May 1990. She married David VanDerWoude in 2000 and had one child with him. Wyland suffered from migraine headaches and dizzy spells for 22 months before her death. She died suddenly during sleep; an autopsy was performed but was inconclusive about cause of death. Wyland was survived by her husband David VanDerWoude, her stepdaughter Carley, and daughter Abigayle. Wyland was buried in the Webster Union Cemetery, Webster, New York. Her husband established the Wendy Wyland Scholarship Fund for divers in financial need of college scholarships. She was included in ''People'' magazine’s "50 most beautiful people" in 1990 and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2001.

References

Wendy Wyland biography, SR/Olympic Sports"US Olympic Diver Wendy Wyland Dies at 38", ''Swimming World'' magazine, September 29, 2003
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wyland, Wendy 1964 births 2003 deaths American female divers Divers at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in diving Sportspeople from Jackson, Michigan Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships medalists in diving Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in diving Universiade medalists in diving Divers at the 1983 Pan American Games Universiade bronze medalists for the United States Medalists at the 1983 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games 20th-century American women 21st-century American women

Biography

See also

References