Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. Bishop | Archdiocese of Louisville

By Maureen Boyle, OSV News

WASHINGTON — The Olympian alumnae trio from a Catholic high school in suburban Washington achieved greatness and made history during their swimming events at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games. They have inspired hope, pride, and joy not only for their alma mater — Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda, Maryland — but also for fans of the school’s Gators throughout the Archdiocese of Washington and beyond.

During the July 27-Aug. 4 swimming events, the hometown athletes — Katie Ledecky, Phoebe Bacon, and Erin Gemmell — swam in several races. Ledecky won her 14th Olympic medal and added two more top medals to her collection of nine golds; Gemmell earned a silver medal in a 4×200-meter freestyle relay; and Bacon finished fourth in the 200-meter backstroke by .04 seconds.

Ledecky, swimming in her fourth consecutive Olympics, won four medals: gold in the women’s 800-meter and 1500-meter freestyle events; silver in the 4×200-meter relay alongside teammate Gemmell; and bronze in the 400-meter women’s freestyle race. Following these wins in Paris, Ledecky became the most decorated U.S. female Olympian in history.

“Katie, Phoebe and Erin are a great source of pride for the Stone Ridge community,” wrote Catherine Ronan Karrels, head of Stone Ridge School. Karrels traveled to Paris to cheer on her former students and represent their school at the Games.

“It is an honor and a great joy to be part of the community here to support them,” Karrels said in an email interview with the Catholic Standard, Washington’s archdiocesan newspaper.

For their races, Karrels was present at Paris La Defense Arena. She described witnessing firsthand as "a thrill of a lifetime."

“I love seeing Katie, Phoebe and Erin swim because I also know how passionate they are for the sport,” Karrels said. “It is incredibly inspirational to see these three alumnae competing on the world stage.”

Karrels was able to give Ledecky a quick congratulatory hug after her 800-meter gold medal ceremony on Aug. 3. Ledecky is now recognized as the first female Olympian to win an event four times consecutively.

Ahead of the games, Karrels visited St. Francis Xavier Church which houses a reliquary for St. Madeline Sophie Barat and Sacre Coeur in Montmartre where she prayed for all Sacred Heart athletes.

“I was able to light candles for Katie, Phoebe and Erin individually,” she said.

On July 25, over 600 enthusiastic Stone Ridge Gator fans gathered at their Bethesda campus wearing specially-designed Team USA T-shirts showing a figure swimming beneath the Eiffel Tower. Stone Ridge sold more than 2,000 T-shirts prior to the Olympics.

Congratulatory messages filled Stone Ridge’s social media pages during that week.

Kate Rodgers from Silver Spring posted on Facebook: “While having swims of lifetime they have brought so much joy...to our community.”

“The Catholic Schools Office is excited to cheer on our incredible #ADWcommUNITY Olympic alumnae athletes: Katie Ledecky ’15, Phoebe Bacon ’20 and Erin Gemmell ’23!” was posted on both Catholic Archdiocese of Washington's Facebook page last week.

While it is common for college swimmers to make an Olympic team together it is rare for three athletes from one high school to do so; only twenty women were named to this year’s U.S. Women’s Swimming Team with three being Stone Ridge alumnae—comprising fifteen percent of that team—who tallied up more medals than some countries participating this summer games altogether according Coach Bob Walker who coached all three during high school years calling it one great story about this year’s games saying: "Erin's first-Phoebe second-and Katie fourth Olympics never gets old!"

Ledecky captain Team USA swim team wrote Instagram after winning gold-medal August third marking twelve years since first winning same event London2012 saying:"Got job done four-peat." She thanked everyone supporting journey especially coaches teammates family friends sponsors noting results still rewarding right attitude effort focus supported great people looking ahead Los Angeles2028 told NBC:

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