Gail Pebworth, a fixture on the Wabash College pool deck for 18 seasons, is one of 20 individuals to be inducted as a member of the Class of 2025 into the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America Division III Hall of Fame.
Pebworth came to Wabash in 1984 after 14 years as the swimming coach of the highly successful Sugar Creek Swim Club in Crawfordsville. She retired in 2002 with an overall record of 775-112, including a 131-20 dual meet record, ranking her among the elite coaches in Wabash and NCAA Division III history. Her Little Giant teams recorded eight undefeated seasons, 13 Liberal Arts Invitational Championships, five Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships, and a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship.
Pebworth received the Indianapolis Association of Wabash Men’s “Spirit of the Monon Bell Award” in 1998. In 2000, she became the first female inducted into the Wabash College Athletic Hall of Fame. She was honored as one of Indiana’s “Trailblazing Women” in 1999. She was honored as a Title IX Hero in 2012 by the Indiana Humanities Organization.
Pebworth’s athletes performed in the pool and the classroom. Forty-eight of her charges earned All-American honors at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships and led her teams to eighth-place finishes in 1991 and 1993. Four Wabash swimmers earned NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships, and two were Rhodes Scholar finalists. Pebworth’s teams were to the College Swimming Coaches Association of America Academic Team for 23 consecutive semesters. Twenty-one of her athletes were named to the CSCAA All-Academic Team.
She served as assistant director of athletics at Wabash from 1991 until her retirement in 2002. She was a member of the NCAA Swimming and Diving Rules Committee from 1995-99 and was selected to serve on the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championship Committee. Pebworth was the chairperson of the CSCAA All-Academic Committee for four years. She was named the Indiana Swimming Coach of the Year in 1980 and 1987. Pebworth received the Certificate of Excellence from the American Swimming Coaches Association in 1989.
Pebworth has been active in many community activities in Montgomery County, including the League of Women Voters and the Wabash Avenue Presbyterian Church. She served six years as a member of the Crawfordsville Board of Public Works and Safety.
The CSCAA Hall of Fame recognizes the contributions and achievements of NCAA Division III swimmers, divers, and coaches. Samantha Barany, Executive Director of the CSCAA, highlighted the importance of this honor. “Congratulations to the Division III Hall of Fame Class of 2025!” Barany said. “This Hall of Fame celebrates the extraordinary careers of swimmers, divers, and coaches who have left a lasting legacy in Division III collegiate swimming and diving. These inductees are being celebrated not only for their athletic excellence but also for their enduring contributions to the sport, their teams, and their institutions.”
The CSCAA DIII Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place on May 5, 2025, at the Annual Awards Celebration at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley in Raleigh, North Carolina.
