West Orange Olympic Icon Joins NJSIAA Hall of Fame

WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange’s own Olympic swimming champ, Virginia “Ginny” Duenkel Fuldner, has joined the illustrious ranks of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Hall of Fame.

Duenkel Fuldner – who medaled in two swimming events as a 17-year-old at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo – was among a group of 18 high school athletes, coaches and contributors inducted into the NJSIAA Hall of Fame last week.

Duenkel Fuldner graduated from West Orange High School in 1965. Read More: Ex-Olympian From West Orange Recalls Her Own Bid As Teen

The NJSIAA offered the following background about her athletic career:

“Imagine being a national champion, world-record holder and Olympic gold medalist, all by the time you were barely a month into your senior year of high school. In the case of Virginia (Ginny) Duenkel, that’s exactly what happened.

“The West Orange native, who graduated from her hometown high school in 1965, burst onto the global swimming scene in the early ‘60s. She won her first national championship at age 15 in 1962, winning the 200 meter backstroke in a world-record time. She added three more national championships in 1963, taking the 200 yard and 200 meter backstroke and 1500 meter backstroke. She also won a gold in the 400 meter medley relay at the 1963 Pan American Games in Brazil.

“All of that set the stage for what happened in Tokyo, Japan, at the Olympic Games during October of 1964. While her friends were beginning their senior year back in West Orange, Ginny was setting out to achieve Olympic glory. It wouldn’t be easy, since her two best events - the 200 backstroke and 1500 freestyle - were not contested at the Olympics. She had to instead compete in shorter events, the 100 meter backstroke and 400 meter freestyle, neither of which she had won at the U.S. nationals or Olympic trials.

“Competing first in the 100, she took the bronze after placing third by just a tenth of a second behind the winner. Two days later came the 400, where she was given little chance considering the incredible strength of the fi eld, which featured four world record holders. Instead, Ginny beat them all in a stunning performance.

“She returned home to a resounding welcome, but with a twist. In those pre-Title IX days, there was no decision to make on whether to swim for West Orange or compete on a higher level. There was no girls swim team at her school, so there was not a choice to make.

“Beyond West Orange, she attended the University of Michigan, where she won several collegiate championships while setting additional records. She’s remained active in the sport as a coach. She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1985.

“One of her biggest honors came after West Orange built a municipal pool complex in 1967, which was named the Ginny Duenkel Pool. The honor has meant that generations of town residents have associated her name with fun and recreation.

“She has lived with her husband, Chris, in Missouri since the late 1970s. She started a swim team, the Water Thrashers, that has grown over the decades into a popular program. The Chris and Ginny Fuldner Aquatic Center in Monett, Missouri is named in their honor.”

2022 HALL OF FAME CLASS

The 2022 Hall of Fame class were initially announced during 2021, but restrictions related to the pandemic delayed the formal induction ceremony.

The inductees were recognized during a celebratory event at the Westin Princeton at Forrestal Village in Princeton. They were selected by a statewide committee of journalists and both active and retired school administrators.

“This 2022 class is yet another reminder that there never seems to be a shortage of remarkable individuals to honor,” said Colleen Maguire, NJSIAA executive director.

“Scholastic athletics in New Jersey has a long, and tremendously proud history, and nothing testifies to that more than the exceptional groups of inductees we have year, after year, after year,” Maguire said.

The full list of 2022 honorees follows below.

Hall of Fame 2022 Inductees

• Robert Auriemma, Ice Hockey coach, Brick Township H.S.
• Joetta Clark Diggs, Track & Field, Columbia H.S., 1980
• William “Mickey” Corcoran, Basketball coach and athletic director, Horace Mann / River Dell / Northern Highlands high schools (posthumous)
• Virginia Duenkel Fuldner, Swimming, West Orange H.S., 1965
• Christopher Ford, Basketball, Holy Spirit H.S., 1968
• Tom Heath, Cross-Country coach, Christian Brothers Academy
• Kenny Jackson, Football, South River H.S., 1979
• Thomas Lopes, Basketball official
• Eulace Peacock, Track & Field, Union H.S., 1933 (posthumous)
• Harding William Peterson, Baseball, Woodbridge H.S., 1946 (posthumous)
• Tricia Popowski, Multiple sports, Hoffman H.S., 1987
• Anthony Siragusa, Football, David Brearley Regional H.S., 1985
• John Somogyi, Basketball, St. Peter’s New Brunswick H.S., 1968
• Steven J. Timko, NJSIAA executive director
• Andre Tippett, Football, Barringer H.S., 1978
• Dajuan Wagner, Basketball, Camden H.S., 2001
• Don Wieder, Boys Gymnastics coach, East Brunswick H.S. (posthumous)
• Nancy Welch Williams, coached multiple sports, Shore Regional H.S.

Service Award Winners

• Tom Fisher, Athletic Director, Phillipsburg HS
• Lydia Siipola, Golf Tournament Sectional Director
• John Siipola, Golf Tournament Sectional Director

NFCA Northeast Sectional Volleyball Coach of the Year

• Jeff Koehler, Coach, Tenafly HS

Award of Honor recipients

• Ed Colona, Cross Country/Track Rules Interpreter
• Carl Rickershauser, Cross Country/ Track Meet Director

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