MARS HILL, N.C. - The Mars Hill swim teams had a special guest coach at practice on Wednesday. John Hencken, a five-time United States Olympic medalist, stopped by to work with team members, especially the breaststrokers, and to give individual advice to the Lions.
“Hencken spoke to the team at his last visit about his experiences, goal setting, and how God has influenced his life," head coach Teddy Guyer said. "Today, he came back to continue helping the team with some individual attention for our swimmers. I wanted my team to be able to talk to and get advice from one of the greatest swimmers in U.S. history."
Guyer and Hencken have been friends for many years. "John has such a wealth of knowledge and is always willing to share it with our team. Today the swimmers had a chance to talk to John on a one-on-one basis and get some stroke advice from him.”
Hencken swam for the United States Olympic Team from 1972-1980. In three Olympics, he won three gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal. During his time in the pool, Hencken broke 13 world records and 21 American records. In the 1973 World Championships, he won two gold medals and one silver medal.
Hencken swam collegiately at Stanford University and was a five-time NCAA Champion and a Scholar-Athlete.