Olympics: New Rochelle's Stars, Part II

Olympics: New Rochelle's Stars
Part II

Last week’s “Thursday Throwback” highlighted the 1924 Olympic Gold won by New Rochelleans Larry Stoddard (Rowing) and Francis T. Hunter (Tennis). This week – Swimming and Track & Field highlights.

The most recent Olympic gold medalist from New Rochelle is Cristina Teuscher, who won a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, as part of the 4 × 200 freestyle relay, breaking the Olympic and American record and swimming the fast split in U.S. history. Four years later, she was voted one of the U.S. Olympic Swim Team Captains for the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia, at which she won a bronze medal in the 200 I.M.   

Raised in New Rochelle and a member of the Badger Swim Club in Larchmont, Cristina graduated from New Rochelle High School in 1996 and Columbia University in 2000. She was an All-American and four-time NCAA champion, won 12 Ivy League titles, and set 17 Lion records. 

In the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, New Rochelle native Lou Jones ran the second leg in the gold medal winning American 4X400 meter relay team. The team of Jones, Charlie Jenkins, Tom Courtney and Jesse Mashburn edged out Russia and Germany in a close finish. 

NRHS Yearbook

New Rochelleans helped Lou raise the funds to make the Olympics, four months after the NRHS graduate of 1950 Jones broke his own 400 meter world record, at the US Olympic Trials in Los Angeles. 

Lou would go on to receive his master’s degree from Columbia Teacher’s College, teaching and coaching at NRHS before a long career as high school and then college administrator. He made his home on Prince Street (now “Lou Jones Way”) in New Rochelle until his death on February 3, 2006. 

Contributor: Barbara Davis, Community Relations Coordinator @ NRPL and Local Historian.