Herald Staff Report
(From the issue of 3/3/05)

The records keep falling for Bishop O’Connell's Kate Ziegler. The 16-year-old swimming sensation broke a national independent high school record in the 500-yard freestyle on Feb. 26 at the Metro Championships held at the Montgomery Aquatic Center in Rockville.

Ziegler's time of 4:37.67 surpassed Janelle's Atkinson's 1999 record of 4:37.91. Ziegler has another year left of high school competition to go after Janet Evans' overall national high school record of 4:37.30.  

The O'Connell girls finished second to Good Counsel in the Metro competition. Ziegler placed first in the 200-yard freestyle and was named swimmer of the meet.

Earlier this month Ziegler, won her first two World Cup titles in the 800m and 400m freestyle. She broke an American record in the 800m. The high school junior trains year-round with the FISH swim club.

Ziegler is a two-time All-Met selection who also swims in the summer for Great Falls in the Northern Virginia Swim League (NVSL). She was co-captain of the U.S. Junior Team which competed last year in Australia and just missed making the U.S. Olympic Team that traveled to Athens in August.