Hall of Fame
Gayle (Gessner) Samuels, 2008 - Gessner was a dominant force in the pool in the mid-1980’s, being named to the Gateway Conference’s All-Decade Team. She is arguably one of the best swimmers in the history of Western Illinois. Dawning the purple and gold from 1982-85 as a butterfly specialist, she held the 200-meter butterfly record at Western for 18 years. Her time of 2:07.37 during the 1984 season is still the second fastest time in school history.Â
She also holds the third fastest time in the 400-meter individual medley with a time of 4:38.03 and has the sixth best time in the 100-meter butterfly with a time of 58.67. She was a member of the 200-meter medley relay team that holds the third fastest time in the school record book, with a time of 1:49.32 in 1985.
The Phoenix, Arizona native is currently a high school English teacher with the Peoria, Arizona Unified School District. She is also a life insurance agent and is active in her community church. Gayle and her husband, DeWayne Samuels, have two children, Chase, and Alexis.
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