Baylor School has named Liz Smith as the head varsity coach of the girls' rowing team.
"I am excited to be part of the tradition of excellence at Baylor," said Smith. "I look forward to building on the strong foundation the team has in place and achieving even more next season."
The wealth of experience and credibility that Liz Smith brings to our Girls Rowing program is a perfect fit for the overall prowess of Baylor athletics," added Athletic Director Mark Price. "Our program is in a wonderful place, and we anticipate her building on this success."
Smith brings more than a decade of coaching experience to Baylor, having held collegiate coaching roles at Boston University, Washington State University, Michigan State University, and most recently, the University of Southern California. In addition to her collegiate work, she coached both the men's and women's club crews at the New York Athletic Club and served as a coach and community outreach coordinator for the Jr. NBA.
Her crews have achieved success at both national and international levels, including a top 10 finish by an LBRA Lightweight rower at the 2025 Henley Women's Regatta. Smith has also coached several elite athletes, including U.S. Olympian Charlotte Buck, whose boat finished fourth in the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Smith began her own rowing career at Clemson University before transferring to Washington State University, where she competed in three consecutive NCAA Division I Championships in the Varsity 8+. After college, she raced with Vesper Boat Club in Philadelphia and Riverside Boat Club in Boston, competing at the Head of the Charles, U.S. Rowing National Championships, and the Canadian Henley Regatta. She was a member of the U.S. U23 National Team from 2009 to 2012 and the Senior National Team from 2013 to 2016, competing in Olympic trials in 2016.
She holds a bachelor's degree in kinesiology from Washington State University and a master's in education from Boston University, with a focus on coaching and sports psychology.
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