A San Francisco native, Nancy Stretch (1940– ) attended Convent of the Sacred Heart for high school and St. Mary’s College, Lone Mountain, for college. She married Joseph Stretch in 1961 and they raised five boys in the City. When the last of their sons entered school, she attended the University of San Francisco law school, receiving her law degree in 1976. She served in the San Francisco district attorney’s office for over two decades.
Besides their shared interest in the law, the family also fostered a lifelong passion for athletics. Joseph joined the Club in 1977 (he served as President in 1994), Stretch joined the women’s golf section in 1995, and their sons were members who participated in the Junior/Juvenile programs. But it was not just golf that held her interest. Stretch swam in the San Francisco Bay every morning and was a member at the South End Rowing Club, where she served as president in 1992–1993. She also participated in Pacific Masters swimming events, winning her age group in the breaststroke, butterfly and individual medley (IM). She was inducted into the South End Rowing Club Hall of Fame in 1998.
Once she saw the growing Masters swimming community at the Club, she was convinced to apply as an Athletic member. She was elected in 1999; one of her references noted that “it’s about time the best athlete in the family became a member.” The swim commissioner at the time said that “She will have an immediate impact…and have an impact on team scoring for as long as she swims.”
That statement has proved prophetic. Since 1999, Stretch has competed in nearly 450 races and set records for her age group along the way. She swam in both pool and rough water events, like the Trans Tahoe, and recently did the half mile Keller Cove swim for the first time. She has attained individual All-American status five times since 2010.
In just the last three years (2021-2023), Stretch has won nine national titles (in the breaststroke, butterfly and IM). She was named the 2022 Pacific Masters Swimmer of the year for her age group. She continues to “swim fast and win a lot,” as
long-time teammate Phyllis Quinn quipped, “she still does her best every swim.”
