STANFORD, Calif - Former Stanford standout Jenny Thompson is set to be inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, as announced by the BASHOF on Tuesday morning.
Thompson will be enshrined as part of its 2024 class, which also includes Patrick Marleau, Brian Sabean, John Taylor, and Chris Wondolowski.
"We are extremely excited to induct the 2024 class into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame (BASHOF)," said Mario Alioto, Board Chair of BASHOF. "Each of these individuals has achieved a rare level of success during their careers and helped bring worldwide attention to the Bay Area. It's especially gratifying that this class also recognizes athletes in several sports that have been historically underrepresented in BASHOF relative to their positive impact on the greater Bay Area community."
The former Cardinal freestyler tallied 19 individual and relay NCAA titles in her time on The Farm and led the program to four consecutive NCAA championships from 1992–1995 in what is considered one of the most dominant runs in the history of collegiate swimming.
Thompson was the 1994–95 recipient of the Honda Sports Award, given to the most outstanding collegiate swimmer of the year, and was nominated for the award each of her four years at Stanford.
In her decorated international career, Thompson won more Olympic gold medals than any other female swimmer in history, representing the United States of America on the podium for eight gold medals, three silver medals, and a bronze medal from 1992 to 2004.
A fifteen-time World Swimming Record holder, the Danvers, Mass., native was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2009 and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2012.
The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was founded in 1979 by Lou Spadia, former president of the San Francisco 49ers. Spadia had long dreamed of a Hall of Fame to honor the Bay Area's athletic legends, which simultaneously raised funds to help kids play sports. For more than 40 years, the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame has enshrined 185 athletes and donated more than $4 million to youth organizations in our local Bay Area communities.