Penny Pence

Penny Pence won a gold medal at the 1951 Pan American Games in the 3×100 metre medley relay and also won bronze that year in the 200 metre breaststroke. She swam at Purdue, and won 10 US National titles in breaststroke and medley relay events, winning the outdoor 100 in 1949, outdoor 200 in 1951, and the outdoor medley relay in 1950-51. Indoors, Pence won the national title in the 100 breast in 1948 and 1951, the 200 breast in 1950-51, and the medley relay in 1950 and 1952.

Pence later became a swim coach and an administrator with USA Aquatic Sports. She coached three different swim teams in the St. Louis area, was a charter member of the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA), and was the first woman elected to the ASCA Board of Directors. She was manager or chef de mission for US Swimming National Teams at numerous international competitions, including the 1984 and 1992 Olympics, and at every World Championships from 1986 through 2013. Pence has been a member of the Board of Directors of USA Swimming. In 1999 USA Swimming awarded her the US Swimming Award for her contributions to the sport. In 2005, Pence was inducted into the Purdue Intercollegiate Athletic Hall of Fame.