Melanie Valerio: Difference between revisions

 

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| club = Lake Erie Silver Dolphins (LESD)<br>Ft. Lauderdale Swim Team 92-93<br>{{nowrap|Hilldenbrand Aquatics, Tucson}} 94-95

| club = Lake Erie Silver Dolphins (LESD)<br>Ft. Lauderdale Swim Team 92-93<br>{{nowrap|Hilldenbrand Aquatics, Tucson}} 94-95

| event = 100, 200 freestyle<br> 4×100, 4×200 freestyle relay

| event = 100, 200 freestyle<br> 4×100, 4×200 freestyle relay

| collegeteam = [[Virginia Cavaliers swimming and diving|University of Virginia]] (1991)

| collegeteam = [[Virginia Cavaliers swimming and diving|University of Virginia]] ()

| education = MA Exercise Physiology<br>U. Virginia (2000)

| education = MA Exercise Physiology<br>U. Virginia (2000)

| coach = {{nowrap|Jerry Haltry (LESD, Hawken School)}}<br>Jim Kehoe (U. Virginia)<br>[[Frank Busch]] (Hilldenbrand)

| coach = {{nowrap|Jerry Haltry (LESD, Hawken School)}}<br>Jim Kehoe (U. Virginia)<br>[[Frank Busch]] (Hilldenbrand)

American swimmer (born 1969)

Melanie Valerio

Full name	Melanie M. Valerio -Thomas
National team	United States
Born	(1969-05-07) May 7, 1969 (age 56)
Education	MA Exercise Physiology U. Virginia (2000)
Occupation(s)	Fitness Trainer, Swim Coach Pharmaceutical testing
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	146 lb (66 kg)
Sport	Swimming
Event(s)	100, 200 freestyle 4×100, 4×200 freestyle relay
Strokes	Freestyle
Club	Lake Erie Silver Dolphins (LESD) Ft. Lauderdale Swim Team 92-93 Hilldenbrand Aquatics, Tucson 94-95
College team	University of Virginia (1987-91)
Coach	Jerry Haltry (LESD, Hawken School) Jim Kehoe (U. Virginia) Frank Busch (Hilldenbrand)

Melanie M. Valerio (born May 7, 1969), also known in some media from around 1995-2002 as Melanie Valerio Thomas is an American former competition swimmer who competed for the University of Virginia and was a 1996 Atlanta Olympic gold medalist in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay.^[1] A strong performer in international meets, between 1993-1997 she captured four freestyle relay gold medals at the Pan Pacific Championships. Utilizing her Masters in Exercise Physiology in her professional career, she has worked as a swim coach, fitness trainer, and in the field of pharmaceutical testing.^[1]

Valerio was born in greater Cleveland, Ohio on May 7, 1969. In early competition at the age of 12, she competed for the Penguin Aquatic Club in the 11-12 age group at the Friendly House Annual Swim Meet, where she swam a 27.002 in the 50 freestyle, a 58.026 in the 100 freestyle, and a 29.741 in the 50 butterfly. She later graduated in 1987 from the Hawken School in Gates Mills, Ohio. In club swimming, Valerio swam for the Lake Erie Silver Dolphins, which swam for ninth place in the National Junior Olympics in 1984. The Lake Erie Silver Dolphins were affiliated with the Hawken School.^[2] Melanie swam for Coach Haltry, an American Swimming Coaches Hall of Fame Inductee at the Hawken School, where he led the Hawken Women’s team to the team title in the Ohio State Swimming Championships in both 1984 and 1985. Hawken coached the regionally dominant Hawken swim team from 1969-2014, leading the men’s and women’s teams to a combined 26 state titles, of which 24 were won by his women’s team.^[3][1]

At the North-Northeast Ohio District Swimming Championships in February 1985, representing Hawken School as a Sophomore, Melanie won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.92, and the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 52.33^[4][5] Earning titles at the 1985 Ohio State Championships, Valerio placed third in the 100 freestyle with a 51.52, and swam anchor in the 4×100 freestyle relay with a team time of 3:32.57, a state meet record.^[6]

After High School, she attended the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, where she swam for the Virginia Cavaliers swimming and diving team under accomplished coach Frank Kehoe, graduating in 1991. Around her Freshman year at Virginia, Valerio qualified for and attended the August, 1988 Swimming trails in Austin, but did not make the finals.^[7][8] Excelling nonetheless in her collegiate career, she captured a total of seven titles in Atlantic Coast Conference competition. Diverse in her contributions to Virginia, she earned All American honors during her collegiate swimming career in six events, with a total of 15 All-American titles and served as team captain for the 1990-91 school year. In the 1990 swimming season, the Virginia women’ swimming team won the Atlantic Coast Conference team championship during Valerio’s tenure on the team. After completing her 1991 Bachelor’s degree, she later earned a Master’s in Exercise Physiology from Virginia, which she completed around 2000.^{[9][10][9][11]}

After graduating Virginia in 1991, from around 1992-1993, Valerio relocated to Florida. She trained and competed first with the Mission Bay Makos in Boca, coached by Tom Popdan at the time, though the team was winding down. She had been slated to coach Mission Bay’s Age Group swimmers in September 1992, but it became a short term assignment.^[12] By 1993, Valerio swam with the Fort Lauderdale Swim Team under Head Coach Jack Nelson.^[7]

Valerio qualified for and attended the early March, 1992 Olympic time trials in Indianapolis after graduating the University of Virginia, but didn’t make the finals, or come close to qualifying. She placed 17th in the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:04.14.^[13] She considered retiring from swimming, and took some time off from elite training.^[10]

Moving to Arizona in 1994, she represented Hillenbrand Aquatics swimming at the University of Arizona Hillenbrand Aquatic Center in Tucson, training under accomplished Hillenbrand Head Coach Frank Busch, who also coached the University of Arizona, and sprint coach Mariusz Podkoscielny. She occasionally worked with former 1972 Olympian and Hillenbrand Coach Rick DeMont.^[1] Working long hours in the 1995-6 years in preparation for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, she was an Assistant Swim Coach at Arizona, attended exhausting practices at the Hillenbrand Center and would eventually become the second oldest member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic women’s team.^[10]

At the age of 26, at the March 6, 1996 Olympic trials in Indianapolis, Valerio placed fourth in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 55.45, a personal best, qualifying her for the U.S. Women’s Olympic 4×100-meter freestyle relay team. She also swam in trials of the 50 and 200-meter freestyle.^[10][14]

At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 33, at age of 27, Valerio earned a gold medal by swimming the anchor leg for the winning U.S. team in the preliminary heats of the women’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay. She swam in Preliminary Heat 2 with lead-off American team swimmer Jenny Thompson, followed by Americans Catherine Fox and Lisa Jacob. Valerio completed her leg in a time of 55.98, with a combined team time of 3:42.36. Later, the American women’s 4×100 free relay team swam a combined time of 3:39.29 to take the gold medal.^[1] In preparation for the 1996 Olympics, Valerio trained briefly with Richard Quick, the Stanford University’s Women’s Coach, and was managed at the Atlanta Olympics by Quick, the 1996 U.S. Olympic Women’s Head Coach.^[15]

In International competition, Valerio won gold in the 4×100 freestyle relay at the World Championships in Perth in 1998. In more notable international achievements, between 1993-1997, she captured four freestyle relay gold medals at the Pan Pacific Championships.^[1] At the August 14, 1993 Pan Pacific Championships in Kobe, Japan, Valerio swam with the team of Nicole Haislett, Angel Martino, and Jenny Thompson, and took the gold medal in the 4×100 freestyle relay in a time of 3:42.56, a meet record. The American Women took seven of eight events.^[16]

Valerio qualified to compete at the 2000 Olympic swimming trials in Indianapolis, Indiana, and finished ninth in the 100-meter swim event, just missing the finals.^[17]

Melanie has competed in United States Masters Swimming, primarily in freestyle events from 2005-2021, between the ages of 35-43, though she competed in a more recent race at the age of 52.^[18] Valerio has raced Ironman as a highly competitive age-group member of the Timex Multisport Team, and has served as a Timex instructor director for fitness. She has blogged her races and training for Timex on the website, [1].^[9]

Relocating to Phoenix, Arizona in August, 2002, she worked performing clinical trials for drug companies looking for approval from the FDA. In 2002, Valerio began training as a marathon competitor.^[17]

Continuing to swim in her later career, at the age of 47, Valerio nearly qualified for the 2016 Olympic trials.^[19]

Valerio was an Atlantic Coast Conference Swimmer of the year in 1990.^[1] In 2014, Valerio was inducted into the Hawken High School Hall of Fame.^[3]