Wheaton College Athletics

Kelly Stewart won a pair of titles at the 2000 NCAA Division III Women's Swimming & Diving Championships. She helped lead Wheaton to a fifth-place finish at the Division III Championships in 2000, a sixth-place effort in 2001 and 2002 and an eighth-place finish in 1999.
 
Kelly qualified for Nationals in each of her four seasons and earned All-America recognition in four trips to the Division III Championships. In 2000, she won National Championships in the 50-yard freestyle and the 200-yard freestyle and was runner-up in the 100-yard freestyle. In her decorated career, she picked up All-American honors in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle, 200-yard medley relay, 400-yard medley relay, 400-yard freestyle relay and 800-yard freestyle relay.
 
At the time of her graduation, Kelly held the Wheaton records in the 50 freestyle (23.76); 100 freestyle (51.78) and 200 freestyle (1:52.09) and was on five school-record setting relays.
 
Kelly recalls of her Wheaton swimming experience, "'We are better together.' Life is best experienced in community. The Wheaton swim team formed a community like none other I had been in. Everyone was accepted, loved and important regardless of their swimming ability. Each of us would become better because of the others when we were encouraged, challenged, cheered for, prayed over and not alone."
 
She recalls of her head coach, "Coach Jon Lederhouse would share life lessons with us on a daily basis. One that I appreciated; and try to apply today is, 'Take time to smell the roses.' At the NCAA Championships in Atlanta one year, he had us all stop and smell some flowers we walked past and he proceeded to share the importance of slowing down, enjoying the present moment you are in and noticing God's gifts all around us. I remember that moment in detail and with fondness, and smile with thanksgiving for his words of wisdom as I see my daughters naturally stop and smell flowers, pick up rocks and admire something along our path."