October 2016 Spotlight

Kimberly Stevens was recently inducted into the National Iowa Varsity Club Athletics Hall of Fame. All former Hawkeye athletes who have won at least one major letter are eligible and must have completed their eligibility at least 10 years prior to their selection. She is the first Iowa women’s swimmer or diver to receive this honor.

After joining the Hawkeye swim team in 1983, Kimberly became a three-time All-American and four-time Big Ten champion. She was Big Ten champion in the 100-yard freestyle in 1985, and repeated as conference champion in the 200-freestyle in 1985 and 1986. She anchored the 800-freestyle relay to a Big Ten title in 1986. Her 200-meter Big Ten title and the 800-freestyle relay were Big Ten records. In 1985, Stevens was a member of two All-America relays—200 and 400-freestyle—and in 1986, she was a member of the All-America 800-free relay.

In 1992, she was named the Athlete of the Decade by the University of Iowa athletic department. Today, she competes regularly in master’s level competitions. Since battling breast cancer in 2010 and undergoing a double mastectomy, Kimberly is now cancer-free, and is active in Swim Across America, an organization that hosts benefit swims to raise money for cancer research.