The Conroe ISD Natatorium has been dedicated to Olympic diver Laura Wilkinson. A dedication ceremony was held earlier this month in Shenandoah, Texas.
Wilkinson represented the United States at the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Olympics. Highlighting her appearances was the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where she captured a gold medal in platform diving. After nine years, Wilkinson came out of retirement in 2017 to compete again. She advanced to finals at Olympic Trials in 2021, but ended up missing the Olympic team.
Outside of her Olympic appearances, Wilkinson also won the 2004 World Cup and 2005 World Championships, making her the first woman in diving history to win all three major international competitions. She is also the first and only American diver to win at the Goodwill Games (1988).
Wilkinson competed for the University of Texas for three years, where she won two Division I NCAA titles in platform before leaving to train full-time for the Olympics. She completed her bachelor’s of science in Public Relations, and was inducted into the University of Texas Hall of Fame in 2009.
In addition to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, Wilkinson is a member of University of Texas Women’s Athletics Hall of Honor, the World Acrobatics Society Gallery of Legends, and the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Wilkinson grew up in Houston, Texas, and currently resides in The Woodlands with her husband and four children. All of her children currently attend Conroe ISD schools.
The Conroe ISD Natatorium houses all of the Conroe school district high school swimming & diving teams, as well as The Woodlands Swim Team for USA Swimming.
The facility been the site of numerous high level competitions for swimming, diving, and water polo, including serving as the location for the NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships in 2013, 2015, and 2017.
