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Theresa Andrews (born August 25, 1962) is an American former competitive swimmer and Olympic champion. Raised in Maryland, Andrews gained prominence as a national collegiate champion when competing for the University of Florida. In international competition, she was a backstroke specialist who won two gold medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics.
After her freshman season, Andrews transferred to the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where she swam for coach Randy Reese's Florida Gators swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Southeastern Conference (SEC) competition in 1982 and 1983. Florida Swimming & Diving 2014–15 Media Supplement , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 78, 79, 83, 84, 97, 91, 98 (2014). Retrieved July 11, 2015. As a Gator, she was an eleven-time SEC champion, including the 50-yard backstroke (twice), 100-yard backstroke (twice), 200-yard backstroke, and six relays. She was a three-time NCAA champion (twice in the 400-yard medley relay, and once in the 200-yard medley relay), and received a total of eighteen All-American honors. The Gators won the 1982 NCAA women's team championship, and the Gators' winning 400-yard medley relay team of Andrews, Amy Caulkins, Michele Kurtzman and Kathy Treible set a new American national record in the event of 3:40.99.Associated Press, " Caulkins Leads Lady Gator Swimmers," Ocala Star-Banner (March 20, 1982). Retrieved July 11, 2015. Andrews, together with teammates Kurtzman, Treible and Tracy Caulkins, won the NCAA 400-yard medley relay event again in 1983, and the Gators placed second overall at the NCAA championship tournament.
Andrews later gave her first Olympic gold medal to her brother Danny in a private gathering, honoring him for his courage when he was paralyzed at the age of 19 after being struck by a car two years earlier.Doug Brown, " Andrews' gold still appreciating; Annapolis swimmer added sentimental value in 1984," The Baltimore Sun (July 13, 1992). Retrieved July 11, 2015. After the Olympics, she retired from competitive swimming at the age of 21.Denne H. Freeman, " Tracy Caulkins announces retirement," The Gettysburg Times, p. 8 (August 6, 1984). Retrieved July 11, 2015.
Andrews delivers motivational speeches for corporations, conferences, community groups and schools, usually on the topics of individual potential and the importance of teamwork in achieving goals, and drawing on the values of the Olympic movement. She is a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, and has served as a volunteer for the U.S. Olympic Alumni Association since 2004. She is also a veteran celebrity swimmer for Swim Across America (SAA), a charitable organization that uses former Olympic swimmers to raise funds for cancer research, and has participated in SAA events for nine years.
Andrews was inducted into the Maryland Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Athlete" in 1987." Sports Line: Swimmers Honored," The Capital, p. D2 (December 12, 1997). Retrieved July 11, 2015. In 2008, she received the NCAA's Silver Anniversary Award, which recognizes successful former student-athletes who have excelled in their careers after graduation.
1984 Olympic swimming
Andrews qualified to represent the United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where she won two gold medals.Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes,
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Theresa Andrews. Retrieved July 11, 2015. She gained her first gold in the women's 100-meter backstroke, narrowly edging fellow American Betsy Mitchell by eight one-hundredths (.08) of a second – about five inches – for a final time of 1:02.55.Frank Litsky, " Swimming Gold Keeps Pouring In," Daytona Beach Morning Journal, p. 1B (August 1, 1984). Retrieved July 11, 2015.Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Swimming at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games,
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Women's 100 metres Backstroke Final. Retrieved July 11, 2015. It was the first time she had ever beaten Mitchell.Denne H. Freeman, " U.S. Continuing Swim Domination," The Daily Sentinel, p. 11 (August 1, 1984). Retrieved July 11, 2015 She earned her second gold by swimming the lead-off backstroke leg for the first-place U.S. team in the women's 4×100-meter medley relay event, sharing the honors with her American teammates Tracy Caulkins (breaststroke), Mary T. Meagher (butterfly stroke), and Nancy Hogshead (freestyle), and clocking a winning time of 4:08.34.Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Swimming at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games,
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Women's 4 × 100 metres Medley Relay Final. Retrieved July 11, 2015.Associated Press, " U.S. Keeps Dominating Games," The Toledo Blade, p. 1 (August 4, 1984). Retrieved July 11, 2015. Her split time of 1:04.00 was slower than her gold-medal time in the individual 100-meter backstroke, but her teammates made up the difference to win and set a new American record in the event.Jeff Commings, " Jon Sieben's 200 Fly Upset, Tracy Caulkins' Final Races Highlighted '84 Olympics 30 Years Ago Today," Swimming World Magazine (August 3, 2014). Retrieved July 11, 2015.
Life after competition swimming
Andrews graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in therapeutic recreation in 1986, University of Florida Alumni Directory, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (2000). and thereafter, from Ohio State University with a master's degree in clinical social work.Swim Across America, Olympians, Theresa Andrews. Retrieved July 11, 2015. From 1992 to 1999, she worked as a clinical social worker in children's hematology and cancer treatment at the University of Virginia Health Science Center.John Keilman, " Gold medalist swims in Olympic memories," The Capital, pp. A1 & A12 (July 29, 1996). Retrieved July 11, 2015. Andrews has worked for MBNA and Bank of America since 1999; as a Bank of America vice president and market manager for consumer banking, she oversees fifteen banking centers in Delaware and Pennsylvania." Gold medalist Andrews swims to top ranks of B of A," Philadelphia Business Journal (August 18, 2008). Retrieved July 11, 2015.
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Categories: 1962 Births, Living People, American Female Backstroke Swimmers, Florida Gators Women's Swimmers, Indiana Hoosiers Women's Swimmers, Olympic Gold Medalists For The United States In Swimming, Sportspeople From New London, Connecticut, Swimmers At The 1984 Summer Olympics, Medalists At The 1984 Summer Olympics, Swimmers From Maryland, Seton Keough High School Alumni, 20th-century American Sportswomen
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