Descenza ('02) Inducted into Georgia Aquatic Hall of Fame

BY RILEY OVEREND
For SwimSwam

August 28th, 2023

After a three-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Georgia Aquatic Hall of Fame (GAHOF) inducted four new members on Friday — former world record holder Mary Descenza Mohler, national diving champion Jud Campbell, and coaches Tommie Lee Jackson, Jr. and Harvey Humphries — making up its 10th-ever class.

Previous GAHOF inductees include two-time Olympic gold medalist Steve Lundquist, longtime University of Georgia head coach Jack Bauerle, and former American record holder Mary Ellen (Blanchard) Warta.

Check out the full bios below for Mohler, Campbell, Jackson, Jr., and Humphries:

MARY DESCENZA MOHLER

Mohler was recruited to the University of Georgia from the Academy Bullets, where she was the three-time Illinois Swimmer of the year and was coached by Bill Schalz.

She swam for Georgia from 2003-06, where she was a member of the 2005 NCAA Championship team that also was the first team to ever win all five relays at an NCAA Championship meet.  For the other three years that Mohler swam for the Bulldogs, they finished 2nd.

Mohler was a 28-time All-American, which ties for first on Georgia’s all-time list, and a 24-time SEC medalist (15 gold, eight silver, and one bronze), which is third on the Bulldogs’ all-time list. She was also a 14-time NCAA champion (4 time 200 fly, 2 time 100 fly, 2 time 800 free relay, 2 time 200 medley relay, 2 time 400 medley relay, and 2 time 400 free relay) which is 2nd on the UGA all time list.

In 2006, Mohler won the Lisa Coole Award for Leadership and the Honda Award, which went to the top American female collegiate athlete across 12 sports. She was later inducted into Georgia’s Circle of Honor in 2018.

Internationally, Mohler made the U.S. National Team and competed at the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan (silver – 400m medley relay), 2002 Pan Pacific Championships in Yokohama, Japan (silver – 200m butterfly), 2003 World Championships  in Barcelona, Spain (silver – 400m medley relay), 2005 World Championships in Montreal, Canada (gold – 800m freestyle relay, silver – 400m medley relay, bronze – 400m freestyle relay), 2006 Short Course World Championships in Shanghai, China (silver – 400m medley relay), 2006 Pan Pacific Championships in Victoria, Canada (bronze – 100m butterfly), 2008 Short Course World Championships in Manchester, Great Britain (gold – 200m butterfly), and 2009 World Championships in Rome, Italy, where she broke the world record in the 200m butterfly (2:04.14).

Read about the other inductees in the full article here:

Published in swimswam.com, August 28th, 2023 

Photo: 

Mary Descenza Mohler (pictured right) broke the 200 fly world record (2:04.14) at the 2009 World Championships in Rome, Italy. Current photo via courtesy of GAHOF