Johnson County joined the praise and bragging rights Thursday, August 2, for Overland Park swimmer Shannon Vreeland, who made her Olympic debut and helped  the U.S. win the gold medal in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay in the London Olympics.

Team USA also set an Olympic record in the event with a time of 7:42.92, chasing down Australia to win the gold. Australia won silver. France took bronze. 

 Vreeland, the daughter of Dan and Connie Vreeland of Overland Park, swam the third leg of the winning relay competition which occurred Wednesday, August 1. She swam with Allison Schmitt, Missy Franklin, and Dana Vollmer.

The accolades were led Thursday by Johnson County Commissioner David Lindstrom, who represents the Third District where the Vreeland family resides, and echoed by other members of the Board of County Commissioners.

“Our own 2010 Blue Valley West High School Jaguar graduate and Third District Johnson County native Shannon Vreeland brought home the gold,” Lindstrom said, congratulating Vreeland, her teammates, her family and friends, her county, and her country. “We are all proud of you and the sacrifice and hard work it took to achieve this.”

Vreeland, 20, now swims at the University of Georgia. She joins an elite list of athletes from the Kansas City metropolitan region who have become Olympic gold medalists. They include sprinter Maurice Greene, Kansas City, Kansas and Tara Nott Cunningham of Stilwell, a graduate of Blue Valley High School, who won in weightlifting. Both received their medals in 2000.

More information is available by contacting Johnson County Commissioner David Lindstrom representing the Third District, at (913) 715-0433 or David.Lindstrom@jocogov.org.