Kristen Heiss
Encyclopedia
Kristen Elizabeth Heiss (born May 12, 1987 in Casper, Wyoming
) is an American
backstroke
and freestyle
swimmer. She is a 3-time collegiate All-American, Big 12 Conference
swimmer of the year, an Olympic Trials finalist, and recently won the 200 freestyle at the 2008 U.S. Open.
A 2005 graduate of Kelly Walsh High School
, Kristen lettered four years for coach Dean Hawks. While there, the was a three-time All-American, four-time All-State, two-time Wyoming 4A Swimmer of the Meet, Academic All-American, and a member of the National Honor Society
. She held the state record in the 100 backstroke (broken 2010 by Shaya Schaedler of Gillette, WY), and is a three time state champion in the 200 freestyle
. She swam for both the Casper Swim club and the Colorado Springs Swim team.
relay
. She also was a Texas A&M/Verizon Athletic Scholar Award recipient. At the Big 12 championships she finished 3rd in the 200 backstroke
with a 1:59.05 and 5th in the 100 backstroke
with a 55.41. At the NCAA championships, she was part of the 800 freestyle
relay that took 6th place while also taking 26th in the 200 back (1:58.96), 31st in the 100 back (55.35), and 51st in the 500 free (4:55.70).
history to swim in three individual evening finals at a NCAA Championship.
In the summer before her junior year, Kristen took fifth at summer nationals in the 200 back and qualified to be part of the U.S. National
Team that participated at the Japan International Grand Prix in Japan
.
about her experiences and the trials, and will serve as an editorial intern for Swimmingworldmagazine.com.
Her performance, including her three career-best 200 Backstroke times, and two career-best 200 freestyle times, came less than two weeks after spending 5 days in a Bryan, Texas
hospital undergoing treatment for pulmonary embolisms.
At the 2008 Swimming US Open, Heiss finished second to world record holder Hayley McGregory
in the 200 meter backstroke
under the meet record set by Olympian
Margaret Hoelzer
with a time of 2:09.99. With this performance, she secured a spot on the 2008 World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia. The next night, she took silver in the 400 meter freestyle
with a time of 4:09.25. On the third night, Heiss took gold in the 200 freestyle, being only the 2nd A&M swimmer to ever do so. She tied with former NCAA Champion Mary Descenza
in a lifetime best of 1:59.43.
Heiss Redshirted
the 2008-2009 collegiate season while recovering from shoulder surgery.
Casper, Wyoming
Casper is the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States.. Casper is the second-largest city in Wyoming , according to the 2010 census, with a population of 55,316...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
backstroke
Backstroke
The backstroke, also sometimes called the back crawl, is one of the four swimming styles regulated by FINA, and the only regulated style swum on the back. This has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimmers not being able to see where they are going. It is also the only...
and freestyle
Freestyle swimming
Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...
swimmer. She is a 3-time collegiate All-American, Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
swimmer of the year, an Olympic Trials finalist, and recently won the 200 freestyle at the 2008 U.S. Open.
Early years
Kristen was born May 12, 1987 to Bill and Susan Heiss in Casper, Wyoming. She has one brother, Erik.A 2005 graduate of Kelly Walsh High School
Kelly Walsh High School
Kelly Walsh High School is a public secondary institution located in Casper, Wyoming and serves Natrona County School District #1. The school mascot is the Trojan. The current principal is Brad Diller.-History:...
, Kristen lettered four years for coach Dean Hawks. While there, the was a three-time All-American, four-time All-State, two-time Wyoming 4A Swimmer of the Meet, Academic All-American, and a member of the National Honor Society
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
. She held the state record in the 100 backstroke (broken 2010 by Shaya Schaedler of Gillette, WY), and is a three time state champion in the 200 freestyle
Freestyle swimming
Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...
. She swam for both the Casper Swim club and the Colorado Springs Swim team.
Freshman Year 2005-2006
As a freshman, Kristen was a first-team All-American and Big 12 champion in the 800 freestyleFreestyle swimming
Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...
relay
Relay
A relay is an electrically operated switch. Many relays use an electromagnet to operate a switching mechanism mechanically, but other operating principles are also used. Relays are used where it is necessary to control a circuit by a low-power signal , or where several circuits must be controlled...
. She also was a Texas A&M/Verizon Athletic Scholar Award recipient. At the Big 12 championships she finished 3rd in the 200 backstroke
Backstroke
The backstroke, also sometimes called the back crawl, is one of the four swimming styles regulated by FINA, and the only regulated style swum on the back. This has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimmers not being able to see where they are going. It is also the only...
with a 1:59.05 and 5th in the 100 backstroke
Backstroke
The backstroke, also sometimes called the back crawl, is one of the four swimming styles regulated by FINA, and the only regulated style swum on the back. This has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimmers not being able to see where they are going. It is also the only...
with a 55.41. At the NCAA championships, she was part of the 800 freestyle
Freestyle swimming
Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...
relay that took 6th place while also taking 26th in the 200 back (1:58.96), 31st in the 100 back (55.35), and 51st in the 500 free (4:55.70).
Sophomore Year 2006-2007
As a sophomore, Kristen was Big 12 Swimmer of the Year, First Team CSCAA All-American selection, First Team Academic All-Big 12, Texas A&M/Verizon Athletic Scholar Award recipient, and Team Co-MVP. She was Big 12 Champion in both the 500 free (4:44.79) and 200 back (1:55.95) while also swimming the lead off leg for the record holding 800 freestyle relay. She also took third in the 100 back (54.71). At the NCAA championships she placed 5th in the 200 back in an all-time Big 12 record of 1:54.09. She also placed 13th in the 200 free and 14th in the 500 free becoming the first swimmer in Texas A&MTexas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
history to swim in three individual evening finals at a NCAA Championship.
In the summer before her junior year, Kristen took fifth at summer nationals in the 200 back and qualified to be part of the U.S. National
USA Swimming
USA Swimming is the national governing body for competitive swimming in the United States. It is charged with selecting the United States Olympic Swimming team and any other teams which officially represent the United States, as well as the overall organization and operation of the sport within the...
Team that participated at the Japan International Grand Prix in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Redshirt Season 2008-2009
At the 2008 USA Olympic Trials, she finished 5th place in the 200 meter backstroke in a time of 2:10.18. Throughout the 2008 Trials, Heiss kept a blogBlog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
about her experiences and the trials, and will serve as an editorial intern for Swimmingworldmagazine.com.
Her performance, including her three career-best 200 Backstroke times, and two career-best 200 freestyle times, came less than two weeks after spending 5 days in a Bryan, Texas
Bryan, Texas
Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,201. It is the county seat of Brazos County and is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley . It shares its border with the city of College Station, which lies to its south...
hospital undergoing treatment for pulmonary embolisms.
At the 2008 Swimming US Open, Heiss finished second to world record holder Hayley McGregory
Hayley McGregory
Hayley McGregory is an American swimmer. She is a former world-record holder in the 50 and 100-meter backstroke .-Personal life:...
in the 200 meter backstroke
Backstroke
The backstroke, also sometimes called the back crawl, is one of the four swimming styles regulated by FINA, and the only regulated style swum on the back. This has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimmers not being able to see where they are going. It is also the only...
under the meet record set by Olympian
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
Margaret Hoelzer
Margaret Hoelzer
Margaret Hoelzer is an American swimmer who competed in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.-Biography:...
with a time of 2:09.99. With this performance, she secured a spot on the 2008 World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia. The next night, she took silver in the 400 meter freestyle
Freestyle swimming
Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...
with a time of 4:09.25. On the third night, Heiss took gold in the 200 freestyle, being only the 2nd A&M swimmer to ever do so. She tied with former NCAA Champion Mary Descenza
Mary DeScenza
Mary Elizabeth Mohler is an American swimmer.- Personal life :Mohler was born into an Italian-American family in Middlesex, New Jersey. Her father, Robert DeScenza, works as a structural engineer and her mother, Margaret DeScenza, is a homemaker...
in a lifetime best of 1:59.43.
Heiss Redshirted
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
the 2008-2009 collegiate season while recovering from shoulder surgery.
Post-Graduate
Beginning in the Spring of 2010, Heiss will begin coaching the Bozeman Barracudas in Bozeman, MontanaBozeman, Montana
Bozeman is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The 2010 census put Bozeman's population at 37,280 making it the fourth largest city in the state. It is the principal city of the Bozeman micropolitan area, which consists...