Enfield Native Earns Induction Into Swarthmore College Athletic Hall Of Fame

SWARTHMORE, PA — A former swimming standout from Enfield who overcame physical setbacks to achieve All-American status in college, and has spent more than two decades coaching collegiate swimmers, has been elected as one of six new members of the Garnet Athletics Hall of Fame at Swarthmore College.

Jill Belding Greenleaf, a 1995 graduate of Enrico Fermi High School, will be inducted with the other members of the Class of 2025 on Oct. 24, kicking off Garnet Weekend. Founded in 1864, Swarthmore is one of the oldest coeducational colleges in the country.

Following her freshman season, Belding ws diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS), a condition in which compression of the blood vessels and nerves in the area between the neck and shoulder, known as the thoracic outlet, causes shoulder and neck pain, as well as numbness in the fingers, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Despite this adversity, Belding earned four All-American honors. As a freshman, she garnered first-team recognition in the 200 butterfly, placing sixth at the NCAA Championships. The following season, she earned another first-team honor, along with All-American honorable mentions in both the 400 and 800 freestyle relays.

At the conference level, Belding collected five All-Centennial honors, including an individual championship in the 200 butterfly as a freshman. She graduated with program records in five events, including a time in the 200 butterfly that stood for a decade, still ranks ninth all-time and remains one of only five top-10 performances recorded before 2000.

Despite missing her entire junior season with an injury, Belding finished her career strong with top-eight swims in the 100 and 200 butterflies at the Centennial Championships, while serving as a captain in her final two seasons.

Upon her graduation in 1999, she received the May E. Parry Award, presented annually since 1960 to a senior woman who, by her loyalty, sportsmanship, and versatility in athletics, has made a valuable contribution to the college. Belding was later named to the Centennial Conference Silver Anniversary Team.

The end of her active competition days did not signify the end of her swimming career, however. Belding served as an assistant coach at Eastern Connecticut State University in 1999-2000, then filled the same from 2000-2002 at Smith College in Northampton, Mass., where she earned her Master's degree.

In 2002, she was hired to helm the women's and men's swimming programs at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and remains to this day. She was also the assistant director of the two largest, privately-run swimming coaches clinics in the country, the Eastern and Central States Swim clinics, from 1998 to 2023.