Dartmouth Names Freya Rayner As Assistant Swimming and Diving Coach

Milana Socha, head coach of Dartmouth’s men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams, has announced that Freya Rayner will be joining the staff as an assistant coach. 

“Freya set herself apart in the application process with her intelligence, passion, and understanding of the elements it takes to be a great coach,” Socha said. “She will have a positive impact on our student-athletes’ abilities to reach their potential in the pool while creating meaningful relationships and helping them grow as people. Her competitive drive will be an asset as our team continues to build and her attention to detail and organization will help our staff manage the program at an elite level.”

Rayner makes the move from Akron, where she spent two years as a graduate assistant coach for the women’s-only team. During her stint at Akron, the Zips successfully reclaimed and then defended their MAC title. Both years, Akron also qualified three swimmers to the NCAA Division I Championships, which tied them for the most swimmers qualified from a mid-major program in 2022 and 2023.

Prior to Akron, Rayner competed for Ohio State University. As a student-athlete, she specialized in sprint freestyle, and was a member of five winning relays at the Big Ten Championships. She helped the Buckeyes win two consecutive Big Ten titles in 2020 and 2021, and was a nine-time CSCAA All-American.

“I am deeply grateful to Milana for placing her trust in me and to the rest of the coaching staff for being so welcoming,” Rayner said. “It is a tremendous honor to work with athletes who embody exceptional academic achievements and great athletic prowess. I am thrilled about the prospects of advancing the team’s success as we move forward together. Go Big Green!”

Rayner is a native of Sunderland, England. She graduated from Ohio State with a bachelor’s degree in world literatures and added a master’s degree from Akron this year in coaching and administration.

The Dartmouth women are coming off of an 8th place finish at the 2023 Ivy League Championships. Their highest individual finisher was Julianne Jones, who earned 8th in the 400 IM.