Kelsi Dahlia
.jpg) Dahlia in 2017 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Kelsi Worrell |
| Full name | Kelsi Worrell Dahlia |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | July 15, 1994[3] Voorhees Township, New Jersey, U.S.[4] |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)[4] |
| Weight | 165 lb (75 kg)[4] |
| Spouse | Tom Dahlia (m. 2017) |
| Relative(s) | Siblings: Kyle Worrell, Jarrod Worrell, Lindi Worrell, Taylor Worrell, Skylar Worrell |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Strokes | Butterfly, freestyle |
| Club | Cali Condors[1] Cardinal Aquatics |
| College team | University of Louisville[2] |
| Coach | Arthur Albiero (Louisville) |
Medal record | |
Kelsi Worrell Dahlia (née Worrell; born July 15, 1994) is a former American competitive swimmer and 2016 Olympic champion in the 4x100 medley relay who swam for the University of Louisville and specialized in butterfly and freestyle events. At the 2018 World Championships, Dahlia won nine medals which included seven gold.[5][6]
As part of the International Swimming League she competes for the Cali Condors.[7]
Early life and education
[edit]Born on July 15, 1994, to Bob and Erica Worrell in Voorhees Township, New Jersey, Worrell grew up in Westampton Township, New Jersey where she swam for Tarnsfield Swim Club and Jersey Storm Swimming. At the Jersey Storm club, a highly competitive program, she was coached by Garrett Clark. She attended Rancocas Valley High School in Mount Holly, where she graduated as part of the class of 2012.[4][7]
During her High School years, she earned All- American status in the 100-fly with a time of 54.93, the 100-back with a 56.81, and the 100-free with a 50.84. She was named Most Valuable Player of the Rancocas Valley High School Swim Team and was Burlington County Swimmer of the year for four consecutive years. She was a New Jersey state champion three times in the 100-fly, and also won the 100-free event. During her High School career, she was named New Jersey Swimmer of the Year and was a USA Swimming Scholastic All American.[4][7]
University of Louisville
[edit]Worrell attended the University of Louisville majoring in Exercise Science from 2012-2016 where she swam for Head Coach Arthur Albiero. Through 2014, Dahlia received additional coaching from Albiero's Assistant Coach Rachel Komisarz, a 2004 Athens Olympic gold medalist.[8][7]
As a Freshman at Louisville, swimming the 100-butterfly, Dahlia set a new record for the Big East Conference with a time of 51.55. She continued to hold the fastest time for the 100-fly in the nation for most of the year. At the NCAA championships, Worrell placed fourth place in the 100-butterfly in 51.80, becoming an All- American. As a Louisville Sophomore, she placed second in the 100 butterfly at the NCAA Championships recording a time of 51.09. She also recorded a Louisville record in the 200-fly in with a fourth place finish of 1:53.63.[7]
American butterfly record
[edit]As a Louisville Junior in March, 2015 she captured the NCAA Championship in the 100 butterfly with a time of 49.81, setting a new American Record and a new NCAA Record as well. When she first set the 100-fly record at the NCAA finals, she broke the 13-year-old former mark held by Natalie Coughlin, and became the first woman to break 50 seconds in the event. She also captured the NCAA championship that year in the 200 butterfly with the time of 1:51.11.[7] [9][10][11][7] As a Louisville senior, she won the Honda Sports Award in the swimming & diving category in 2016.[7]
2015
[edit]At the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, she won the gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly.[2][12]
As noted previously, while at Louisville, Worrell held the American record in the 100-yard butterfly.[13] In March 2016, she improved her record to 49.43 s.[14]
At the Duel in the Pool meeting in December 2015, Worrell broke the world record in the 4×100 meter medley relay (short course) together with her teammates Courtney Bartholomew, Katie Meili, and Simone Manuel.[15]
2016 Rio Janeiro Olympic gold medal
[edit]At the US Olympic Swimming Trials, Worrell placed first in the 100-meter butterfly and qualified for the US Olympic team.
In Rio de Janeiro, Worrell placed 4th in the heats of the 100-meter butterfly but failed to qualify for the finals after finishing 9th in the semi-finals.
On August 12, 2016, Dahlia won a gold medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay after swimming in the preliminary heats, which helped the American team advance. Dahlia swam the breaststroke leg in the second preliminary heat of the medley with the American team of Olivia Smoliga, Katie Meili, and Abbey Weitzeil, that recorded a combined time of 3:54.67. Though she did not swim in the final, the American medley relay team later finished in first in the final round with a combined time of 3:53.13, with Australia taking the silver and Denmark taking the bronze.[16][17]
2018 World Swimming Championships
[edit]At the 2018 World Swimming Championships in December in Hangzhou, China, Dahlia won a record nine medals at a FINA Championships meet, narrowly taking a lead in the gold medal count with seven medals over Caeleb Dressel who also won nine medals only with one less gold medal.[5][6]
International Swimming League
[edit]In 2019 she was a member of the inaugural International Swimming League representing the Cali Condors, who finished third place in the final match in Las Vegas, Nevada in December. Dahlia won the 100-meter butterfly at the final beating world record holder Sarah Sjöström for the second time of the season.[18]
2019 World Championships
[edit]Dahlia won one gold and two silver medals competing for Team USA at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships. She swam the butterfly leg of the 4×100 meter medley final in which USA won gold with a world-record time of 3:50.40.[19] She won silver for a preliminary heat in the 4×100 meter mixed medley and a silver in the 4×100 meter freestyle final, setting an American record with a time of 3:31.02.[20]
Coaching
[edit]In 2022 Dahlia announced her official retirement from swimming and began work as an associate swimming coach for the University of Notre Dame. In the position she worked with Louisville associate Chris Lindauer, who had been hired in April.[21]
Awards and honors
[edit]Personal life
[edit]In October 2017, Dahlia married her husband, Tom. She has 5 siblings: Jarrod, Kyle, Lindi, Taylor and Skylar who also swam for Tarnsfield Swim Club. Her brother Kyle swam for Louisville and qualified and competed in the 2021 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ Keith, Braden (December 9, 2019). "Cali Condors Unveil Roster for 2019 International Swimming League Finale". SwimSwam.
- ^ a b Flaherty, Bryan (August 6, 2015). "Kelsi Worrell wins USA Swimming national title in the women's 100-meter butterfly". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
- ^ "Kelsi Worrell – 2015–16 Swimming and Diving". Louisville Cardinals. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f "Kelsi Worrell Swimming". Team USA. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
- ^ a b "Team USA Wraps Dominant FINA World Championships (25m) with Nine-Medal Performance". USA Swimming. December 16, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- ^ a b Zaccardi, Nick (December 16, 2018). "Caeleb Dressel finishes with nine medals, six gold; U.S. dominates short course worlds". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "University of Louisville Swimming and Diving , Kelsi Worrell". gocards.com. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ "Braden, Keith, Olympic Gold Medalist Rachel Komisarz-Baugh Named Head Coach at Ohio University". Swimswam.com, March 19, 2014. March 19, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "Louisville's Kelsi Worrell Wins Honda Award as Top Collegiate Swimmer". SwimSwam. April 8, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- ^ "Swimming & Diving". CWSA. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- ^ Sullivan, Tim, "Global Reach of Games Boosts U of L, Art Albiero", The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, July 31, 2016, pg. C4
- ^ Lintner, Jonathan (July 19, 2015). "Another gold for Cards' Worrell at Pan Am Games". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
- ^ Keith, Braden (March 20, 2015). "Kelsi Worrell Becomes First Woman Ever Under 50 Seconds In 100 Yard Fly". Swimswam. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
- ^ Neidigh, Lauren (March 18, 2016). "Kelsi Worrell Crushes 100 Fly American Record". Swimswam. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
- ^ Lohn, John (December 12, 2015). "Duel in the Pool: Team USA goes on record assault to secure 74–48 advantage". Swimvortex. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
- ^ USA Swimming (June 27, 2016). "Women's 100m Butterfly". Omega Timing. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
- ^ "Olympedia Biography, Kelsi Dahlia". olympedia.org. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ Lepesant, Anne (December 20, 2019). "International Swimming League Finale in Las Vegas: Day One Live Recap". SwimSwam.
- ^ "2019 Worlds final" (PDF). FINA. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
- ^ "2019 Worlds final". FINA. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
- ^ "Swimswam Magazine, Sutherland, James, June 2, 2022, Louisville Legend Kelsi Dahlia Named New Associate Coach at Notre Dame". swimswam.com. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ Ortegon, Karl (February 10, 2021). "SwimSwam's Top 100 For 2021: Women's #75 — #51". SwimSwam. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ Sutherland, James (January 11, 2022). "SwimSwam's Top 100 For 2022: Women's #50-41". SwimSwam. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
External links
[edit]- Kelsi Dahlia at World Aquatics
- Kelsi Dahlia at the International Swimming League
- Kelsi Dahlia at USA Swimming (archived August 14, 2020) (archive)
- Kelsi Worrell at Team USA (archive February 4, 2022)
- Kelsi Worrell at Olympics.com
- Kelsi Worrell at Olympedia
- 1994 births
- Living people
- American female butterfly swimmers
- American female freestyle swimmers
- Sportspeople from Voorhees Township, New Jersey
- People from Westampton Township, New Jersey
- Rancocas Valley Regional High School alumni
- Sportspeople from Burlington County, New Jersey
- Swimmers from New Jersey
- Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- World record holders in swimming
- Louisville Cardinals women's swimmers
- Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming
- Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)
- World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming
- Swimmers at the 2015 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games
- Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in swimming
- Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in swimming
- 21st-century American sportswomen