Baylor Swim Club assistant coach Laura Pitman has been elected to the Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame.
The native of Chattanooga, who ended up moving to Pennsylvania to swim at Mercersburg Academy during high school, as an All-American at the University of Tennessee as the latest piece of a strong history of aquatic sports in the area. She also held the Tennessee school record in the 100 backstroke at one point of her career. She is currently an assistant coach for the Baylor School – one of the top three private school programs in the country.
Her daughters, Sloane and Arden Pitman were both swimmers at the Baylor School and continued on to follow in their mom’s footsteps at Tennessee.
There was a second swimmer in this class: Caroline Caulkins Bentley, who was a two-time All-American for the Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga and also coaches in the area. Soon to follow these too, not far down the road, will surely be high school senior Kristen Vredeveld, who is bound for Cal next fall and one of the best swimmers in the state’s history.
Among other swimming names in this hall of fame include Jimi Flowers, another Baylor School alum who was a former coach of the U.S. Paralympic team and recognized as one of the most inspirational coaches in swimming history. Flowers passed away in 2008 in Colorado during a climbing accident, where he fell while climbing Capitol Peak.
So proud of you and know you as my friend!! Outstanding and very deserving!
Way to go Coach P!
Could not happen to a better and more deserving person!