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Rebecca Rutt Leas
Rutt in swim gear in 1971 as College Sophomore at West Chester
Biographical details
Born (1951-04-23) April 23, 1951 (age 74)
Ephrata, Pennsylvania
Alma materWest Chester University
Playing career
1969-1973West Chester University
Position(s)Breaststroke, Backstroke, Individual Medley
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1979-1987Clarion University
Women's Swimming
Don Lease, spouse
1979-1981Clarion Women's Tennis
Head coaching record
Overall71-14 Win % 83.5
(Clarion University)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
6x NCAA Div. II National Titles (Clarion)
1980-87 PSAC Conf. Champs (Clarion)
Awards
Clarion University Hall of Fame (1996)
West Chester University Hall of Fame (1995)
NCAA Div. II Coach of the Year
NCAA Div. II All Decade Team

Rebecca Christine Rutt (April 23, 1951– ), later known by her married name Rebecca Rutt Leas, was a competitive swimmer for West Chester University and the women's swim coach for Clarion University from 1979-1987 where her teams won six National Team Titles in NCAA Division II Championships. She is the only woman to have won a national championship as a collegiate swimmer and to have coached six national championship teams.[1]

Rebecca Rutt was born in Ephrata, Pennsylvania on April 23, 1951 to Mr. and Mrs. Harold L. Rutt. She attended Ephrata High School, graduating with a class of 218 on June 3, 1969, while making the school's honor roll. Beginning to compete around the age of seven, she trained with and competed for the Lancaster Aquatic Club under Head Coach Gary Eby at least by the age of 10. By 1961, the accomplished club had 90 members on the women's team and competed in the Women's Swim League of Philadelphia.[2][3][4][5][6] At 12 in December, 1963, she set Lancaster Aquatic Club records of 1:03.5 in the 100-yard freestyle, and of 2:38.4 in the 200-yard Individual Medley, and swam the 50-yard free in a non-record time of 35.9.[7] By her High School Freshman year in 1966, she held five Lancaster club records and had been voted the "Most Valuable Swimmer" on the team for two consecutive years.[8][9]

West Chester State College

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Receiving a scholarship,[10] she swam for West Chester University, then known as West Chester State College, making the Dean's list in the Fall of 1969 and 1971, and graduating with honors in July, 1973. The West Chester Golden Ramettes women's team won the Regional Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Championships in 1971 with a margin of over 100 points at Southern Connecticut State. That year, in a season when the West Chester women had been undefeated in two years of dual meets, Becky placed ninth in the 100-yard breaststroke, ninth in the Individual Medley, and tenth in the 100-yard backstroke at the National Collegiate Swimming Championships at Arizona State, with the West Chester women having placed second in the previous National meet in 1970.[11][6] Swimming for West Chester, she was part of the school's historic National Championship team in 1972.[3]

Coaching

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After graduating with honors from West Chester State in May, 1973, where she completed a Bachelor's and than a Master's in Health Education, she taught for six years at Conestoga High School, from 1973-1979.[5][12]

Clarion University

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Rutt was appointed an Assistant Professor at Clarion University in August of 1979, responsible for coaching the Women's Swim and Tennis teams, and serving as a Health Instructor. During her time coaching the women's swim team at Clarion she had an overall record of 71-14 in dual meets with most of her losses occurring against NCAA Division I swim teams.[5] Leas resigned as the women's swimming Coach at the age of 35 for health reasons in late April, 1987, but remained at Clarion as an Associate and then full Professor in Heath Education. She mentioned nodules on her vocal cords as an issue, a condition that the work of a swim coach would aggravate. During her coaching tenure at Clarion from 1979-1987, she led the women's swim team to six Division II national team titles in every year from 1980-84 and again in 1986.[13] Her squads won every Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) dual meet and each PSAC Conference championship from 1980-87, running eight consecutive years. Clarion was at the Division 1 national championships from 1982-86 and attended the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1984. In 1987, Leas coached All American Christine Jenson during her Freshman year and coached Jeanne O'Connor, a Clarion standout in the 100-meter sprint from 1980-1984.[14][15][16]

As a United States Masters Swimmer in September 1981, Rutt won the National age group title in the 50 and 100 backstroke events. She placed fourth in the 50 breaststroke and sixth in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke.[17]

Leas studied for her Doctorate in Sport Pedagogy at the University of Pittsburgh beginning in August of 1987, and completed the degree in 1992. She served on the Olympic International Committee for U.S. Swimming and was instrumental in the selection of the coaching staff for the 1984 Olympics.[1]

Rebecca married Philadelphia native Don Leas, a former diver for Michigan State, and the diving coach at Clarion from 1966-1990.[1]

Honors

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Lease was inducted into the Clarion University Hall of Fame in 1996, and her alma mater's West Chester University's Hall of Fame the prior year in 1995. She was a Division II Coach of the year in 1980, 1981, and 1984.[1] In 1991, she was elected to NCAA Division II's All-Decade team coaching staff, along with her husband Don who coached Clarion Diving for 24 years.[3] She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce in 1990.[18] In her honor, she and Milissa Steiner Bauer, a Clarion University swimmer and graduate, created the Dr. Rebecca Rutt Leas Women's Swimming Scholarship at Clarion in January, 2007.[14] As a distinctive honor, in 2022 Becky Leas and her dive coach husband Don were voted to the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) 100 Greatest Swimming & Diving Coaches list.[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Clarion Couple Named to All-Decade Team", Fasnacht, Andy, Sports Editor, The Ephrata Review, Ephrata, Pennsylvania, June 5, 1991, pg. 21
  2. ^ "Lancaster Aquatic Mermaids Prep for Approaching Meets with Best in East", Sunday News, December 24, 1961, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, pg. 34
  3. ^ a b c "Clarion University Hall of Fame, Rebecca Rutt Leas". clariongoldeneagles.com. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
  4. ^ "218 Receive Diplomas at EHS Tuesday", The Ephrata Review, Ephrata, Pennsylvania, June 5, 1969, pg. 1
  5. ^ a b c "In College Post", Ephrata Review, Ephrata, Pennsylvania, August 9, 1979, pg. 5
  6. ^ a b "Becky Rutt Begins National Swim Competition, Entered in Six Events for West Chester Team", The Ephrata Review, Ephrata, Pennsylvania, March 25, 1971, pg. 11
  7. ^ "Becky Rutt Sets Two Swim Records", The Ephrata Review, Ephrata, Pennsylvania, December 19, 1963, pg. 10
  8. ^ "Becky Rutt Headed for National Swim Meet", The Ephrata Review, Ephrata, Pennsylvania, April 14, 1966, pg. 10
  9. ^ Benshoff, Al, "Desparate Dozen on their Way", Intelligencer Journal, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, July 4, 1968, pg. 20
  10. ^ "1,468 Here Receive State Scholarships, Ephrata, Rebecca Rutt", Daily Intelligencer Journal, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, April 16, 1970, pg. 42
  11. ^ "Becky Rutt Places in National Meet", The Ehphrata Review, Ephrata, Pennsylvania, April 1, 1971, pg. 14
  12. ^ "West Chester State", Lancaster New Era, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, July 5, 1973, pg. 29
  13. ^ "In the District, Becky Leas", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, April 20, 1987, pg. 33
  14. ^ a b "Swimming World Magazine, Clarion University Creates Women's Swimming Scholarship". swimmingworldmagazine.com. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
  15. ^ Falk, Jonni, "Jenson Making Waves for Clarion", The Daily Register, Red Bank, New Jersey, May 17, 1987, pg. 41
  16. ^ "Clarion Swimming Coach Resigns", The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, April 24, 1987, pg. 39
  17. ^ "Becky Rutt Takes Pair of National Swimming Crowns", The Ephrata Review, Ephrata, Pennsylvania, September 10, 1981, pg. 13
  18. ^ "Leas is Inducted into Clarion Hall of Fame", The Ephrata Review, Ephrata, Pennsylvania, May 29, 1996, pg. 23
  19. ^ "Clarion Athletic Department, Title IX at 50: Rebecca Rutt Leas". clariongoldeneagles.com. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
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