Natalie Coughlin is the golden child of the Daily Californian sports section.
For the third consecutive time, Coughlin is the Daily Cal's Female Athlete of the Year. Coughlin used her 2002-2003 season to set three world, seven American, and three NCAA records. Racing against mere humans, Coughlin won every dual meet event she competed in, going a perfect 24-0. Coughlin capped off her blistering season by owning the NCAA Championships, winning the 100 and 200 yard back and the 100 fly, all for the third straight year. The three victories helped her lock up her third straight NCAA Swimmer of the Year Award and steered the Bears to an eighth place finish in the overall team competition.
Coughlin has also gone international with her game. Coughlin paced the American women by winning two individual events and helping the US team to a third-place finish in the 400 free relay. The finest performance in Coughlin's season, and arguably her career, came at the US National Championships last August. Coughlin's world-record time of 59.58 in the 100 meter back made her the first to break the minute mark in the event. It is considered one of the greatest individual feats in swimming.
Coughlin, who joined the Bears as a force in the backstroke and fly, used the 2002-2003 season to add the sprint freestyle to her devastating repertoire.
Her sprint freestyle was on overdrive as she set a new American record in the 100 free at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. In addition to her hellish performance in the 100 free, Coughlin won five other medals to tie Australian Ian Thorpe for the top spot in the individual medal count. Coughlin, who simply dominated the swimming world in 2002, became a repeat winner of the Honda Swimming Award and was again a runner-up for the Sullivan Award, given to the best amateur athlete each year.
Having won almost every collegiate swimming award imaginable, the only accolade that Coughlin has yet to win is an Olympic gold medal. In addition to her excellence in the swimming pool, Coughlin has also managed to deliver in the classroom. Coughlin was recently named a second team All-Academic Pac-10 honoree with a solid 3.39 GPA in Psychology.
World Championships : 2003 - 31st in 100 freestyle, 22nd in 100 backstroke, 8th in 100 butterfly, 1st in 400 free relay, 2nd in 400 medley relay. National Championships : 2002 - 1st in 100 freestyle, 1st in 200 freestyle, 1st in 100 backstroke, 1st in 100 butterfly. World ranking : 1st in 100 backstroke, 59.85; 5th in 100 freestyle, 54.30. Other career highlights : Got sick during 2003 world championships, but helped Americans win gold in 400 free relay and silver in the 400 medley relay.
