Vanessa Richey Said​

Vanessa Richey Said was a two-time national champion in Modern Pentathlon and a four-time NCAA champion and All-American in swimming. A swimmer since the age of five, she set Nebraska state age group records, was the 1981 U.S. Junior National Champion in the 400m Individual Medley and won the 1982 UIL State 200 IM title while at Lackland High School. A graduate of Winston Churchill H.S., she helped the Chargers secure their first UIL State Swimming Championship in 1984 by winning the 200 IM and the 500 Freestyle.​

Richey qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials in 1984 and 1988, placing fifth in the 400 IM in ’84. She swam at the University of Texas when the Longhorns won four straight NCAA team championships. She was a four-time NCAA All-America selection, a three-time NCAA Honorable Mention All-American and the 1986 Southwest Conference 400 IM champion.​

​She was the U.S. National Champion in Modern Pentathlon in 1993 and 1994 and represented the USA at the World Championships in ’91, ’93 and ’94 where she won the swimming event each year and posted the fastest run-swim combination in the world. She was also a two-time individual gold medalist at the Pan American Championships and the U.S. Olympic Festival. She was twice named the U.S. Modern Pentathlon Athlete of the Year and is a member of the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame.​​