Allegheny College Athletics

Rebecca Smullin Dawson ‘00 played a major role in the success of the women’s swimming and diving teams in the late 1990’s.  

Specializing in the butterfly and freestyle, she earned a total of 15 All-America honors between individual events and relays, and helped the Gators finish in the top-15 at the NCAA Division-III National Championships in all four of her seasons at Allegheny.  Individually, she finished in the top five at the NCAA Championships in the 100 butterfly in both 1997 and 1998.  She also was a part of the Gators’ 400 free, 400 medley, and 800 free relay squads that earned three straight All-America honors between 1998 and 2000, while she earned a pair of All-America honors in the 200 freestyle relay.   As a team, the Gators placed 13th or better at the NCAA Championships each season between 1997 and 2000, including a sixth-place finish in 1998, and seventh-place finish in 1999.  

After graduating from Allegheny, Rebecca earned a Masters of Public Health at Emory University, before receiving a PhD from the University of Maryland. 

Currently, Rebecca works as a professor of biology and global health studies at Allegheny, conducting research in the field of epidemiology, and received Allegheny’s Thorburn Award for Excellence in Teaching in May 2016.   She has also remained active in Gator athletics, as she serves as a volunteer assistant for the Allegheny swimming and diving team, and also is one of the school’s Faculty Athletic Representatives.  

She currently resides in Meadville with her husband David and children Kennedy and Colin.  When not teaching or coaching, she enjoys running, and has completed six marathons together with her husband.