University of Delaware Athletics
Hall Of Fame Induction Honors Dawn Schieffer's Impact On Delaware Swimming
10/22/2019 10:52:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving, 50 Years of Women's Athletics
The first swim practice of Dawn Schieffer's (formerly Dawn Mayers) University of Delaware career was a monumental one. The only swimmer on the team from her high school in north Jersey, Schieffer was getting in the pool with new people from all over the country.
"That was really amazing because those people from that day in September 1980 became my close friends for life," Schieffer said.
From swimming a leg on a national champion relay team to supporting a new era of Delaware swimming and diving, Schieffer embodies what it means to be a Blue Hen. This September, the same year that Delaware is celebrating the 50th anniversary of women's athletics at the University, she was inducted into the Delaware Athletics Hall of Fame for her contributions to the dominant Blue Hens teams of the early 1980s.
Besides her husband, her relay teammates and Edgar Johnson, her coach who is also a member of the Hall of Fame, were the first people to know that she was going to be inducted.
"They didn't know they were the first ones to know, but I just felt compelled to tell them first," Schieffer said. "Then I got out my swimming scrapbook and started going through everything, and the memories just came back."
The highlight of Schieffer's prolific career was swimming a leg of the 200-yard freestyle relay that won the 1981 AIAW (Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) Division II national championship. The Blue Hens won every dual meet they swam in that year, and finished in ninth place at the national championships in Marquette, Michigan.
"That was pretty amazing," Schieffer said. "Because it hadn't been done before. It was just a whole new level of competition, because we were just used to our Division II local [teams]."
Schieffer held school records in eight different events at various points in her career, including several freestyle, backstroke and relay races. She credits role models around her for setting a positive example.
"Mary Pat Johnson, who was two years ahead of me, she was who we looked up to," Schieffer said. "She was probably the best swimmer in Delaware swimming history, or at least in my mind she is. All of us wanted to try to emulate the leadership that she had, and the work ethic. And it really brought out the best in us."
Johnson, the legendary coach, was also integral in creating a championship culture. Schieffer points to his prioritization of family and academics over swimming, and his pre-race words of motivation: "be all you can be."
Of course, Schieffer's time on Delaware's swim team wasn't without lighter moments. Johnson had a large towel the Blue Hens called "The Psych Tent" that they would huddle under to hype themselves up before races. One time on a bus trip to rival Drexel, the Hens decided to play a prank on their beloved coach.
"One year what we did, is we all dressed like Edgar…He always wore a blue blazer, yellow shirt, khaki pants, and then we all had the mustache," Schieffer laughs. "We were on the bus and he came in and we were all dressed that way. He was totally crimson!"
Women's athletics has progressed rapidly since Schieffer's time in the pool ("Oh my gosh, the training they do now…it's almost a different sport!"), with the addition of athletic scholarships, integration into the NCAA and vastly increased recruiting efforts. Still, Schieffer has remained involved with the program as Delaware swimming and diving enters a new era under second-year head coach Pablo Marmolejo.
In addition to supporting the team's annual trip to Florida to train, Schieffer and her husband have a scholarship in their name for a student-athlete who is an accounting major. The current recipient of that scholarship is senior swimmer Ellie Jogani.
"It's a huge honor to be able to receive her scholarship, not only to get an awesome education, but also be a part of this team," Jogani said. "This opportunity I was given through this scholarship was something I really couldn't pass up, and ultimately led me here to the best four years of my life so far."
Jogani also notes how great the training trip to Florida is for both the men's and women's teams.
"It benefits us by not only being the hardest practice of the season, so we're benefitting physically, but also mentally as a team," Jogani said. "That one week is so crucial in the entire season. It makes a huge difference, and everybody can say that they feel the difference it makes when they come back."
Schieffer was able to have a number of her teammates, including those on the national champion relay squad, at her Hall of Fame ceremony.
"We're all involved in our lives, we all have kids and grandkids, so it makes it a little bit harder, but we do stay in touch," Schieffer said. "You just pick up where you left off."
Jogani, who was born and raised in Delaware, sat next to Schieffer at the Hall of Fame ceremony. The night of celebration for the history of Delaware athletics had a definite impact on the current Blue Hen.
"It was awesome to finally meet with her, talk to her and also meet a lot of her teammates that also came and sat with us. Seeing them interact after all those years and seeing how close they still are was so inspiring to see, it made me want to come back and continue to build those relationships with my team members," Jogani said. "Also listening to her memories that she talked about when she went on stage, and just seeing how happy she was from something that happened so long ago and how much of an impact in her life that swimming still has, it was awesome to hear."
"I hope that I can be an example to the swimmers," Schieffer said. "If I weren't a Blue Hen, I wouldn't be who I am today."
"That was really amazing because those people from that day in September 1980 became my close friends for life," Schieffer said.
From swimming a leg on a national champion relay team to supporting a new era of Delaware swimming and diving, Schieffer embodies what it means to be a Blue Hen. This September, the same year that Delaware is celebrating the 50th anniversary of women's athletics at the University, she was inducted into the Delaware Athletics Hall of Fame for her contributions to the dominant Blue Hens teams of the early 1980s.
Besides her husband, her relay teammates and Edgar Johnson, her coach who is also a member of the Hall of Fame, were the first people to know that she was going to be inducted.
"They didn't know they were the first ones to know, but I just felt compelled to tell them first," Schieffer said. "Then I got out my swimming scrapbook and started going through everything, and the memories just came back."
The highlight of Schieffer's prolific career was swimming a leg of the 200-yard freestyle relay that won the 1981 AIAW (Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) Division II national championship. The Blue Hens won every dual meet they swam in that year, and finished in ninth place at the national championships in Marquette, Michigan."That was pretty amazing," Schieffer said. "Because it hadn't been done before. It was just a whole new level of competition, because we were just used to our Division II local [teams]."
Schieffer held school records in eight different events at various points in her career, including several freestyle, backstroke and relay races. She credits role models around her for setting a positive example.
"Mary Pat Johnson, who was two years ahead of me, she was who we looked up to," Schieffer said. "She was probably the best swimmer in Delaware swimming history, or at least in my mind she is. All of us wanted to try to emulate the leadership that she had, and the work ethic. And it really brought out the best in us."
Johnson, the legendary coach, was also integral in creating a championship culture. Schieffer points to his prioritization of family and academics over swimming, and his pre-race words of motivation: "be all you can be."
Of course, Schieffer's time on Delaware's swim team wasn't without lighter moments. Johnson had a large towel the Blue Hens called "The Psych Tent" that they would huddle under to hype themselves up before races. One time on a bus trip to rival Drexel, the Hens decided to play a prank on their beloved coach.
"One year what we did, is we all dressed like Edgar…He always wore a blue blazer, yellow shirt, khaki pants, and then we all had the mustache," Schieffer laughs. "We were on the bus and he came in and we were all dressed that way. He was totally crimson!"
Women's athletics has progressed rapidly since Schieffer's time in the pool ("Oh my gosh, the training they do now…it's almost a different sport!"), with the addition of athletic scholarships, integration into the NCAA and vastly increased recruiting efforts. Still, Schieffer has remained involved with the program as Delaware swimming and diving enters a new era under second-year head coach Pablo Marmolejo.
In addition to supporting the team's annual trip to Florida to train, Schieffer and her husband have a scholarship in their name for a student-athlete who is an accounting major. The current recipient of that scholarship is senior swimmer Ellie Jogani."It's a huge honor to be able to receive her scholarship, not only to get an awesome education, but also be a part of this team," Jogani said. "This opportunity I was given through this scholarship was something I really couldn't pass up, and ultimately led me here to the best four years of my life so far."
Jogani also notes how great the training trip to Florida is for both the men's and women's teams.
"It benefits us by not only being the hardest practice of the season, so we're benefitting physically, but also mentally as a team," Jogani said. "That one week is so crucial in the entire season. It makes a huge difference, and everybody can say that they feel the difference it makes when they come back."
Schieffer was able to have a number of her teammates, including those on the national champion relay squad, at her Hall of Fame ceremony.
"We're all involved in our lives, we all have kids and grandkids, so it makes it a little bit harder, but we do stay in touch," Schieffer said. "You just pick up where you left off."
Jogani, who was born and raised in Delaware, sat next to Schieffer at the Hall of Fame ceremony. The night of celebration for the history of Delaware athletics had a definite impact on the current Blue Hen.
"It was awesome to finally meet with her, talk to her and also meet a lot of her teammates that also came and sat with us. Seeing them interact after all those years and seeing how close they still are was so inspiring to see, it made me want to come back and continue to build those relationships with my team members," Jogani said. "Also listening to her memories that she talked about when she went on stage, and just seeing how happy she was from something that happened so long ago and how much of an impact in her life that swimming still has, it was awesome to hear."
"I hope that I can be an example to the swimmers," Schieffer said. "If I weren't a Blue Hen, I wouldn't be who I am today."
Players Mentioned
IM/Free
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