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Olympic Star Ryan Lochte Joins Missouri State Coaching Staff

5/12/2026

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Summary

Lochte Joins Missouri State

Ryan Lochte will join Missouri State University as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s swimming teams.
Lochte brings 12 Olympic medals, ranking him third among U.S. swimmers behind Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky.
Head coach Dave Collins said Lochte’s experience will immediately benefit the program and its student-athletes.
Lochte said the role lets him give back, help athletes build discipline and confidence, and mentor them.

Summary

Lochte Zoom Talk

Lochte will speak via Zoom on Tuesday to discuss his new coaching role.
He served a 10-month suspension after the 2016 Rio Olympics LochteGate controversy.
Lochte still co-holds the 4×200-meter freestyle relay world record with a time of 6:58.55.
Lochte earned a sport-management degree from the University of Florida in 2007.
He is dating Molly Gillihan, a Greenwood and Drury alum, and will join Worst Cooks In America: Reality Check.

History

Historical Context

Mark Spitz’s seven-gold, world-record sweep at the 1972 Munich Games launched a wave of former champions turning profit from endorsements and later shaping U.S. swimming programs. Decades later, twelve-medal Olympian Ryan Lochte joined Missouri State under coach Dave Collins, exemplifying how elite athletes now drive collegiate recruiting and performance at the university’s level.

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Lochte Joins Missouri State

Ryan Lochte will join Missouri State University as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s swimming teams.
Lochte brings 12 Olympic medals, ranking him third among U.S. swimmers behind Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky.
Head coach Dave Collins said Lochte’s experience will immediately benefit the program and its student-athletes.
Lochte said the role lets him give back, help athletes build discipline and confidence, and mentor them.

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