Ryan Lochte Making Teaching Debut As Assistant Coach At Missouri State

12-time Olympic medalist and present World Record holder Ryan Lochte will be part of the Missouri State teaching workers for the upcoming 2026-2027 season as an assistant coach, the varsity introduced.

“What stood out to me about Missouri State is the culture,” Lochte defined. “There’s a strong sense of purpose, accountability, and team-first mentality. You can tell this is a program that’s building something meaningful and sustainable. Dave (Collins) and Chelsea (Dirks-Ham) have created an environment that emphasizes development, not just performance, and that really resonates with me. Their vision for the program aligns with how I see the sport — developing complete athletes and great people. Being able to learn from them while also bringing my own experience to the table made this opportunity feel like the right fit.”

“From a personal standpoint, this is a new chapter that I’m truly excited about,” Lochte continued. “Swimming has given me so much, and this is my chance to give back in a meaningful way. I’m coming into this role with humility, hunger, and a genuine passion to make an impact. I want to be someone these athletes can trust — not just as a coach, but as a mentor who understands what they’re going through. This opportunity isn’t something I take lightly. It’s about building relationships, contributing to a winning culture, and helping shape the next generation — not just as swimmers, but as people.”

This will mark Lochte’s teaching debut after a adorned swimming profession. Lochte final competed on the 2021 US Olympic Trials-Wave II. He was seventh within the 200 IM, an occasion he held the World Record in till July 2025. He represented the US on the 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympic Games. Lochte swam to eight lengthy course meters World Records throughout his profession, together with the boys’s 4×200 free relay file of a 6:58.55 that also stands from 2009.

Lochte competed on the collegiate degree at Florida and graduated in 2007 with a level in sport administration. Lochte was a 24-time All-American, 7-time NCAA Champion, and held NCAA data within the 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 200 IM and 400 IM.

Lochte joins the teaching workers led by Dave Collins, who has served as head coach since 2012. Chelsea Dirks-Ham has been an affiliate head coach with the applications since 2013.

How Good Is Missouri State Swimming?

The Missouri State males captured their sixth Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) title this previous season and twenty second total convention championship. The Missouri State ladies completed third out of 9 groups on the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Championships.

The males despatched one swimmer to the 2026 NCAA Championships as freshman Kiefer Roemer completed twenty ninth within the 100 breaststroke in a lifetime greatest 52.15. Prior to Roemer, the final swimmer on the boys’s facet to swim at an NCAA Championship was again in 2019 when Blair Bish and Artur Osvath competed on the meet in Austin, Texas. Bish earned Honorable Mention NCAA All-American honors on the meet with a 51.95 100 breaststroke for tenth total. 

The ladies have solely despatched one swimmer to an NCAA Championship. Back in 2022, Anna Miller swam to a thirty fifth place end within the 50 freestyle with a 22.29. Miller graduated in 2022 and was an assistant coach for this system this previous season after being employed in May 2025.

Historically, the Missouri State ladies have been dominant within the Missouri Valley Conference as they’ve captured a complete of 20 MVC crew titles, together with eight titles in a row from 2008-2015 in addition to eight in a row from 2017-2024. The males’s program simply started competing on the MVC because the MVC began sponsoring males’s swimming and diving in the course of the 2024-2025 season. Prior to that, the boys’s crew competed within the Mid-American Conference (MAC). All the MAC applications now compete on the MVC Championships because the MAC doesn’t sponsor males’s swim and dive anymore.