Early Years
Ziegler was born in Fairfax, Virginia in 1988, the daughter of Don and Cathy Ziegler. She attended Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School in Arlington County, Virginia, a Washington, D.C. suburb. At Bishop O'Connell, she excelled throughout her four years, earning Washington Post All-Met honors four straight years, including being Swimmer of the Year on more than one occasion. As a freshman, she finished third in the 200-yard freestyle (1:51.59) and won the 500-yard freestyle (4:47.78) at the 2003 Metros Swimming and Diving Championships, breaking the then-15-year-old record in the 500 held by Pam Minthorn. She also anchored O'Connell's 200-yard freestyle (24.51 split) and 400-yard freestyle (53.65 split) to seventh and sixth place finishes, respectively. The following year, as a sophomore, she won both the 200-yard freestyle (1:46.15) and the 500-yard freestyle (4:41.91) in record time, and anchored the winning 200-yard freestyle (24.14 split) and third place 400-yard freestyle (51.63 split) relays. Her times continued to drop rapidly, and as a junior she again won both the 200-yard freestyle (1:45.43) and 500-yard freestyle (4:37.67) in record time, the latter being an Independent National High School record. As a senior, she continued to excel, tying the National High School record in the 200-yard freestyle (1:45.49) and breaking Janet Evans' USA Record in the 500-yard freestyle (4:35.35).
Ziegler initially attended George Mason University, and later transferred to Chapman University in 2011.
Read more about this topic: Kate Ziegler
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