Kathleen Elizabeth Hersey is an American competition swimmer who represented the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympics and finished fourth in the 200-meter butterfly.
Background
Hersey was born in Athens, Georgia. Hersey is the daughter of Brian and Regina Hersey, who adopted her when she was three days old. Hersey says she draws inspiration from her father, a financial consultant, who has used a wheelchair since the 1980s after a spinal cord aneurysm, but still maintains an active lifestyle.
Education
University of Texas at Austin.
Career
Regina Hersey, a former freelance editor, died in January 2012 after a battle with colon cancer. She is a 2008 graduate of Marist School in Atlanta, where she set national high school records in the 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard individual medley. Hersey was a public relations major at the University of Texas, where she swam for the Texas Longhorns swimming and diving team in and 2010.
Hersey left the Lady Longhorns swim team after the –10 school year to train individually under Longhorn Aquatics head coach Eddie Reese. and placed second in the 200 butterfly and 200 individual medley.
Hersey qualified for the 2008 Olympic Games by placing second in the 200-meter butterfly, her signature event, at the United States. Olympic Team Trials in Omaha, Nebraska. Additionally, she placed fifth in the final of the 400 m individual medley in Omaha with a career best time of 4:42.07.
At the Olympics, Hersey finished eighth in the 200-meter butterfly finals with a time of 2:08.23. She had swum a then career best 2:06.96 in the semi-finals of this event a day earlier.
Hersey also placed fifth in the 100 m butterfly in 58.36.
At the World Aquatics Championships in Rome, Hersey placed ninth overall in 2:06.89, barely missing a place in the final. She also placed first in the event at the 2011 Duel in the Pool. 2012 Summer Olympic Games At the 2012 United States Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, the United States. qualifying meet for the Olympics, Hersey made the United States. Olympic team for the second time by finishing second in the 200-meter butterfly behind Cammile Adams with a time of 2:07.72.
Hersey also competed in the 200-meter freestyle but did not advance past the semi-finals, and placed third in the 100-meter butterfly final.
At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Hersey advanced to the finals of the 200-meter butterfly and swam a career-best time of 2:05.78 to finish in fourth place.