Kristy Kowal

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. She was the first American woman to win a world championship title in the 100-meter breaststroke.

Kristy Kowal

Personal information
Full name	Kristina Ann Kowal
Nickname(s)	"Kristy"
National team	United States
Born	(1978-10-09) October 9, 1978 Reading, Pennsylvania
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	146 lb (66 kg)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Breaststroke
Club	Athens Bulldog Swim Club
College team	University of Georgia
Medal record Women's swimming Representing the United States Olympic Games 2000 Sydney 200 m breaststroke World Championships (LC) 1998 Perth 100 m breaststroke 1998 Perth 4×100 m medley 1998 Perth 200 m breaststroke 2001 Fukuoka 50 m breaststroke Pan Pacific Championships 1997 Fukuoka 4×100 m medley 1999 Sydney 200 m breaststroke 1997 Fukuoka 100 m breaststroke 1999 Sydney 100 m breaststroke 2002 Yokohama 200 m breaststroke

Kowal helped her college team, the Georgia Bulldogs swimming and diving team of the University of Georgia (UGA), win two NCAA 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. She is now an elementary teacher in the Wilson School District, located in her hometown of West Lawn, Pennsylvania.

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.