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Inducted 2003   A
native of Oaklyn, New Jersey, Denise graduated from Collingswood High School.
Since Collingswood did not offer swimming as a varsity sport, she competed
for the Jersey Wahoos throughout her youth and qualified for Junior Nationals
during her senior year of high school.
Denise enrolled at Lake Forest in the fall of 1983 and was a successful swimmer throughout her career. The Foresters claimed the Midwest Athletic Conference for Women team championship her freshman season and she was a member of the winning 800-freestyle relay team. She also went on to earn All-American honors at the NCAA Division III National Meet in the 200-butterfly and 1,650-freestyle and was voted the team's Most Valuable Swimmer. As a sophomore, Denise won a pair of individual events and a relay at the conference meet and placed in the 100-butterfly, 200-butterfly, and 1,650-freestyle at the national meet. She was again voted the Foresters' Most Valuable Swimmer. She won three individual events and a relay at the conference meet as a junior. At the national meet, she placed in the 100-butterfly. Finally, she claimed one individual title and was on a pair of winning relay teams as the Foresters claimed another MACW championship her senior year. The team also finished 10th at the national meet as she placed in the 200-butterfly and 1,650-freestyle and helped the 800-freestyle relay to All-American status as well. She completed her career with 11 conference titles (six individual and five relays) and nine All-American honors. Since graduating in 1987, Denise has worked as a store manager in Birmingham, Alabama. She continued her swimming career and placed as high as third at the USS Masters National Championships. She lists her three children, Felicia, Madeline, and Josefina, as her greatest lifetime achievement.
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