Rachel Komisarz (born December 5, 1976), also known by her married name Rachel Komisarz-Baugh, is an American former competition

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

, Olympic gold medalist, and former world record-holder. She began swimming when she was a senior at Warren Mott high school because of a gymnastics injury that left her with two fractured vertebrae. Komisarz swam at the University of Kentucky and became a seven-time All American swimmer and three-time SEC Champion by the end of her four years at the university. Not only was Komisarz very dedicated to swimming while at the University of Kentucky, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Education and a Kinesiology major with an emphasis in exercise. She swam for the United States team at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

, where she won a gold medal in the women's 4×200-meter freestyle relay, and a silver medal in the women's 4×100-meter medley relay, after swimming in the preliminary session of the meet. Komisarz did not make the 2008 Olympic team, and had shoulder surgery shortly after. Once she had recovered, she tried to get back into the pool, but it just was not the same anymore. It was in 2009 that she stopped competitively swimming. Komisarz was named an assistant swim coach at the University of Louisville in 2009, where she help build the men's and women's team to 5 conference championships. She was also the women's recruiting coordinator and helped bring in the top athletes in the world, ranking the recruiting classes 12th and 7th in the NCAA for the 2010 and 2011 respectively. While she was an assistant at the University of Louisville, she helped bring the women's team to place 15th, and the men's team to place 10th at the NCAA Championships. During her coaching years at the University of Louisville, Komisarz also earned a master's degree in Sports Administration. Komisarz was named the head coach of the

Ohio Bobcats The Ohio Bobcats are the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio University, located in Athens, Ohio, United States. Ohio University is a charter member (1946) of the Mid-Amer ...

women's swimming team at

Ohio University Ohio University is a Public university, public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confeder ...

in 2014, after serving five years as an assistant coach for the

Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...

swimming team at the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

.Braden Keith,
Olympic Gold Medalist Rachel Komisarz-Baugh Named Head Coach at Ohio University
" Swimswam.com (March 19, 2014). Retrieved June 4, 2015. Since taking the job at Ohio University, Komisarz's teams have finished 6th twice at the conference championships. The Bobcats improved one spot to 5th in the 2017 conference championships. Komisarz currently has a meet record of 18–15, and has helped 3 swimmers qualify for the Olympic Trials. On June 21, 2018, Komisarz and Conrad Dobler were enshrined into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in Troy, Michigan.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Komisarz, Rachel 1976 births Living people American female butterfly swimmers American female freestyle swimmers World record setters in swimming Kentucky Wildcats women's swimmers Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming Olympic silver medalists for the United States in swimming World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Universiade medalists in swimming Sportspeople from Warren, Michigan Louisville Cardinals swimming coaches Ohio Bobcats swimming coaches Universiade silver medalists for the United States Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2001 Summer Universiade American people of Polish descent

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