Katie Kochman Welsch (1996-2000) Katie Kochman Welsch began her swimming career at the age of 4 in Louisiana. She and her family moved to Marietta when she was 6, and Katie continued swimming. She broke a national age group record in her 9/10 year old competitions, and it took eleven years before her record was broken nationally - but it still stands in Georgia. During this time, she was a Junior Nationals Qualifier.
Katie joined the Wheeler High School swim team in the 1996-97 school year-a team she would captain her senior year. While at WHS, Katie was a member of Beta Club, National Honor Society, and Latin Club, and she was the Marietta Daily Journal's Swimmer of the Year in 2000, as well as the Cobb Swim Coaches Association's Swimmer of the Year. She said her most meaningful award was winning WHS's Matt Lee Award, since she grew up swimming with Matt.
Katie parlayed her success at Wheeler into a swimming scholarship at East Carolina University where she went on to break the freshman 100-yard butterfly record and serve as team captain. She was named Outstanding Rookie of the Year her Freshman Year, and she was the Iron Pirate Award recipient. As in high school, Katie was a member of a number of academic honor rolls and honor societies.
Katie married fellow Wheeler High graduate and swimmer Tim Welsch. She now cheers for her 9-year-old son Griffin, who last year swam to state summer league swimming titles, and she watches 6-year-old son Bode excel in baseball. And on it goes!