Kate Ziegler - Early Years

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.