Education
She later attended University of California, Santa Barbara, where she was a member of the UCSB Gauchos swim team and a three-time All-American.
She later attended University of California, Santa Barbara, where she was a member of the UCSB Gauchos swim team and a three-time All-American.
While a student at El Monte High School, Neilson set CIF Southern Section records in 1972 for both the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle events. Despite being ranked as the third-best American sprinter, Neilson participated in the in Munich, Germany at the age of 16. In the 100-meter freestyle, Neilson defeated heavy favorites Shane Gould from Australia and her American teammate Shirley Babashoff in an Olympic record time of 58.59 seconds.
The victory landed her a spot on the 4×100-meter freestyle relay with Babashoff as well as the 4×100-meter medley relay.
In a twist of fate, during the Munich massacre which took place after the day after the swimming events were completed, both Gould and Babashoff were huddled with Neilson in her Olympic Village while the massacre was taking place. I thought I might never see them again."
Bell successfully argued in August 1984 to the International Swimming Hall of Fame that Neilson had been "retired" for nine years, despite still participating in United States Masters Swimming.
This made her eligible under the ISHOF"s four-year retirement requirements and Neilson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986. Neilson participated in the 1988 and 1992 United States. Olympic Trials.
She missed qualifying for the 1996 Trials in the 50-meter freestyle by a mere nine one-hundredths (009) of a second.
In 1996, Neilson was the first swimmer over 40 to be ranked top 25 in the world in an event (50-meter freestyle) and the first swimmer over 40 to compete in United States. National Championships, at which she was honored by having United States of America Swimming"s comeback award named after her, the "Sandy Neilson-Bell Comeback Swimmer of the Year Award".