HIGHTSTOWN, New Jersey, January 27. PEDDIE School will dedicate the long-awaited state-of-the-art natatorium at a special ceremony on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m., followed by the much anticipated girls and boys dual meet against archrival Germantown Academy. The opening celebration commemorating 100 years of Peddie swimming will also honor the return of Nelson Diebel '90, a winner of two gold medals in the 100-meter breaststroke and 400 medley relay at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
"I am very proud to share this moment with everyone who made it happen," said Athletic Director Sue Cabot, who has been overseeing the renovation and expansion of the athletic center. "This tremendous facility supports the mission of our school by recognizing the vital role that sports and fitness play in providing the highest quality educational experience of cultivating life-long relationships and the values of hard work and sportsmanship."
"The new 35-meter facility will provide our swimmers with optimal training conditions in a fast competition pool and give us the opportunity to share space with the community as we expand our progams."
Left behind in the Clinton I. Sprout Pool, the home of Peddie swimming for 37 years, are memories of legendary meets and Olympic athletes including Diebel '90, BJ Bedford '90 (gold, Sydney 2000), Royce Sharp '91 (1992) , Peter Wright '91 (Atlanta 1996), Andrew Rutherfurd '90 representing Hong Kong (1992) , Jennifer Smatt '92 from Bermuda (1992) , Ji-Young Lee '09 of Korea (Athens 2004) and Roy-Allan Burch '04 of Bermuda (Beijing 2008).
"We're very excited about our move," said Greg Wriede '95 in his ninth campaign as head coach of the Peddie Falcons. "We've always gotten the job done with the six-lane pool, but it is a major step up."
At 35 meters long and 25 yards wide, the pool can accommodate 15 lanes while utilizing an eco-friendly filtering system that will save thousands of gallons of water. The structure, designed by the architectural firm RMJM Hillier, uses many materials and products that decrease energy consumption and deliver daylight to the building's interior spaces.
"We are encouraging the local community to come see the new pool and enjoy a very competitive meet," added Wriede. "We have a lot of alumni coming to make this event a one of a kind of experience."
From start to finish, the two storied programs should put on a sizzling show for the expected packed house.
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