American swimmer
Kristina Ann Kowal (born October 9, 1978) is an American former competition swimmer , Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. Kowal represented the United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney , winning the silver medal in the 200-meter breaststroke .[2] She was the first American woman to win a world championship title in the 100-meter breaststroke.
Kowal helped her college team, the Georgia Bulldogs swimming and diving team of the University of Georgia (UGA), win two NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships . She was the NCAA swimmer of the year in 1999 and 2000. Kowal was the first American woman to break the one-minute barrier in the 100-yard breaststroke. She won eight NCAA titles and 10 U.S. Swimming national titles. During her college career she held 8 American and one world record. In 2000, she was named NCAA Woman of the Year and she was recipient of the Today's Top VIII Award as a member of the Class of 2001 , which honors eight senior student-athletes each year. She graduated from UGA in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in Education (B.S.Ed).
Kowal became a member of the United States Swimming Team in 1995 at the age of 16. Kowal was an also alternate on the 1996 Olympic team in the 100 meter breaststroke, the 2000 Olympic team in the 100 meter breaststroke, and the 2004 Olympic team in the 200 meter breaststroke. She is now an Elementary School Teacher.[3]
She was inducted into the Pennsylvania Swimming Hall of Fame in 2009, the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 2010, University of Georgia's Circle of Honor in 2012 and the Georgia Aquatic Hall of Fame in 2013.
World long-course champions in women's 100 m breaststroke
World long-course champions in women's 4×100 m medley relay
1973 : Ulrike Richter , Renate Vogel , Rosemarie Kother , Kornelia Ender (GDR)
1975 : Ulrike Richter , Hannelore Anke , Rosemarie Kother , Kornelia Ender (GDR)
1978 : Linda Jasek, Tracy Caulkins , Joan Pennington , Cynthia Woodhead (USA)
1982 : Kristin Otto , Ute Geweniger , Ines Geissler , Birgit Meineke (GDR)
1986 : Kathrin Zimmermann , Sylvia Gerasch , Kornelia Gressler , Kristin Otto (GDR)
1991 : Janie Wagstaff , Tracey McFarlane , Crissy Leighton , Nicole Haislett (USA)
1994 : He Cihong , Dai Guohong , Liu Limin , Le Jingyi (CHN)
1998 : Lea Maurer , Kristy Kowal , Jenny Thompson , Amy Van Dyken (USA)
2001 : Dyana Calub , Leisel Jones , Petria Thomas , Sarah Ryan (AUS)
2003 : Zhan Shu , Luo Xuejuan , Zhou Yafei , Yang Yu (CHN)
2005 : Sophie Edington , Leisel Jones , Jessicah Schipper , Libby Trickett (AUS)
2007 : Emily Seebohm , Leisel Jones , Jessicah Schipper , Libby Trickett (AUS)
2009 : Zhao Jing , Chen Huijia , Jiao Liuyang , Li Zhesi (CHN)
2011 : Natalie Coughlin , Rebecca Soni , Dana Vollmer , Missy Franklin (USA)
2013 : Missy Franklin , Jessica Hardy , Dana Vollmer , Megan Romano (USA)
2015 : Fu Yuanhui , Shi Jinglin , Lu Ying , Shen Duo (CHN)
2017 : Kathleen Baker , Lilly King , Kelsi Worrell , Simone Manuel (USA)
2019 : Regan Smith , Lilly King , Kelsi Dahlia , Simone Manuel (USA)
2022 : Regan Smith , Lilly King , Torri Huske , Claire Curzan (USA)
2023 : Regan Smith , Lilly King , Gretchen Walsh , Kate Douglass (USA)
2024 : Iona Anderson, Abbey Harkin , Brianna Throssell , Shayna Jack (AUS)
Pan Pacific champions in women's 4×100 m medley relay
1985: Canada
1987: USA (Linehan, Johnson , Myers , Torres )
1989: USA (Loveless , McFarlane , Johnson , Fetter )
1991: USA (Wagstaff , King, Ahmann-Leighton , Haislett )
1993: USA (Loveless , Nall , Thompson , Martino )
1995: Australia (Stevenson , Riley , O'Neill , Ryan )
1997: USA (Maurer , Kowal , Fox, Thompson )
1999: USA (Bedford , Quann , Thompson , Kolbisen)
2002: Australia (Calub , Jones , Thomas , Henry )
2006: USA (Coughlin , Hardy , Komisarz , Weir )
2010: USA (Coughlin , Soni , Vollmer , Hardy )
2014: Australia (Seebohm , Tonks , Coutts , Campbell )
2018: Australia (Seebohm , Hansen , McKeon , Campbell )
2000 USA Olympic swimming team
Qualification Men's team Women's team Coaches
Southeastern Conference Athlete of the Year winners
Southeastern Conference Swimmer of the Year winners
NCAA Woman of the Year
1991: Riley
1992: Byrne
1993: Lynch
1994: Hughes-Jones
1995: Lobo
1996: Winsett-Fletcher
1997: Coole
1998: Boutilier
1999: Demby
2000: Kowal
2001: Black
2002: Silas
2003: Karpinos
2004: Albin
2005: McCalley
2006: Bersagel
2007: Myers
2008: Anosike
2009: Nymeyer
2010: Schluntz
2011: Barito
2012: Phillips
2013: Okafor
2014: Tucker
2015: Day
2016: Guo
2017: Crist
2018: Orji
2019: Mercurio
2020: Seidt
2021: Cornick