Beth Botsford

Beth Botsford

Personal information
Full name	Elizabeth Anne Botsford
Nickname(s)	"Beth"
National team	United States
Born	(1981-05-21) May 21, 1981 Baltimore, Maryland
Height	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight	108 lb (49 kg)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Backstroke
Club	North Baltimore Aquatic Club
College team	University of Arizona
Medal record Women's swimming Representing the United States Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta 100 m backstroke 1996 Atlanta 4x100 m medley Pan American Games 1999 Winnipeg 200 m backstroke 1999 Winnipeg 100 m backstroke Summer Universiade 2003 Daegu 50 m backstroke 2003 Daegu 4x100 m medley

Elizabeth Anne Botsford (born May 21, 1981) is an American former competition swimmer and backstroke specialist who won two gold medals as a fifteen-year-old at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. She did so in the individual 100-meter backstroke, and as a member of the women's relay team in 4×100-meter medley.

Personal

Botsford grew up in Timonium, Maryland. She started her swimming journey at the age of 9 for the North Baltimore Aquatic Club in Baltimore, Maryland. Over the next 5 years, Beth held every national age group record in the backstroke events for the ages 9–10 year olds, 11-12 year olds, and 13-14 year olds.

In 1996 at the age of 14, and already with 2 National Championships under her belt, Beth placed first in the 200m backstroke at the US Olympic Trials and second in the 100m backstroke, earning her a spot as one of the youngest members on the United States Olympic Team. That summer in Atlanta, Georgia, Beth swam to a gold medal finish in the 100m Backstroke at the XXVI Olympic Games and swam the backstroke leg of the gold medal winning 4x100m Medley Relay.

Throughout the next ten years, Beth won a total 6 National Championships, broke the American and US Open records in the 200m Backstroke, was an NCAA Champion and 16 time All-American for the University of Arizona, was voted the PAC-10 Newcomer of the Year, received the Ruby Award for “Outstanding Female Student Athlete” at the University of Arizona, has served as the Honorary Head Coach for the Special Olympics of Maryland, and has been inducted into the Maryland Swimming Hall of Fame and the University of Arizona Sports Hall of Fame.

She has traveled all around the world including Paris, Japan, Korea, Paris, Barbados, Mexico, Canada, and Australia representing the United States as gold, silver and bronze medals earning member of the Pan American Games Team, Pan Pacific Games Team, World Championships Team and the World University Games Team (which she was also voted Team Captain for the USA). Beth has been requested anywhere from Alaska to Virginia to Japan for her Stroke Clinics and has recently decided to settle in New Glarus, Wisconsin with her husband Mark and three children. Beth is currently an Assistant Coach for the University of Wisconsin Badgers.

Beth is the owner of the Golden Guppies Swim School in Madison, Wisconsin.

Beth also coaches the Waunakee Wave Swim Team. The age-group side of the team includes up-and-comer Gabriella Pierobon-Mays.

See also

• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
• List of University of Arizona people

External links

• Beth Botsford – Olympic athlete profile at Sports-Reference.com

Template:Footer USA Swimming 1996 Summer Olympics