Hmmm. THat'd be awkward. I'm not saying I agree with her as a role model, any more than a lot of sports 'icons', but I would be surprised if any of the kids knew who she was.
I'd met Cab Calloway after a school assembly, and didn't have a clue who he was until years later.
I'm sure kids wouldn't know about her when they met her either. But if the school introduces them that is the same as saying "here's somebody we think you should know" and kids are curious.
If they're not curious about their world and the things the school exposes them to the school isn't doing much of a job of inspiring them to learn.