In 2000, Jendrick was the youngest medalist on the U.S. Olympic swim team and second-youngest athlete overall (only Michael Phelps was younger). Jendrick went on to win gold medals in the 100-meter breaststroke (setting an American record) and 4×100-meter medley relay (setting a World record), and subsequently she was featured on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" magazine, becoming one of a small number of women to be honored as such. Jendrick has additionally been featured on covers of newspapers such as "The Seattle Times", "The New York Times," and "USA Today".