Weber State University Athletics
Hall of Fame - Virginia Nelson Rich
3/5/2015 6:18:00 PM | Wildcat Club
Virginia Nelson Rich
Women's Swimming and Diving (1938-42)
Inducted February 1992
At just ages 14 and 15, Virginia Nelson competed for Weber College and won the Intermountain AAU Junior Swimming and Diving Championships in 1938 and 1939. She later finished first in diving in the Senior AAU Championships in 1939.
In winning the 1939 Junior National AAU Diving Championship, Nelson became the first woman in Utah to claim a national championship.
She also became the first woman in history to earn a letter in men's intercollegiate athletics.
At the National AAU Juniors, held June 2, 1939, in Oakland, California, Nelson had the lowest scores on the first three dives of the competition. However, Nelson – coached by Ferron Losee – settled down over the final seven dives to claim the title.
Virginia Nelson Rich is a member of the Utah Sports Hall of Fame.
