Bio

Rob Brownell is in his sixth season as the head men's and women's swimming & diving coach at Olivet College in 2022-23.

During his tenure as head coach, the Comets have performed well in the pool and in the classroom. In the pool, Olivet has achieved 84 new additions to the all-time top 10 performance list, including 11 school records. The Comets have had three individual event winners at the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Championships and two NCAA Championship qualifiers. One of those swimmers earned College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) All-American honors.

In the classroom, the Comet men’s and women’s teams have landed a spot on the CSCAA Scholar All-American team list each of the 10 semesters during Brownell’s tenure. The Olivet women have also been named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll each year and the Olivet men for three of the four years. In addition, 25 student-athletes have combined to earn 41 MIAA Academic Honor Roll citations. One of those swimmers was named to the CSCAA Scholar All-American team.

Prior to Olivet, Brownell served as the head swimming and diving coach at Battle Creek Central High School (BCCHS) since 2005. After coaching only the boys' team for the first six years, he coached both the girls' and boys' teams for the last six seasons. While there, Brownell's teams saw continuous improvement and multiple students went on to compete at all NCAA levels. 

Before BCCHS, Brownell was the head girls' swimming and diving coach at San Pasqual High School in Esconido, California, for four years. During each year of his tenure, the Eagles were conference champion and placed top 10 at the state championship meet.

Brownell attended San Diego State University. While there, he was a member of the varsity crew team from 1996-99.

Brownell lives in Marshall with his wife, Beth, and two children, Miriam and Thane. Beth is a second-grade teacher at Hughes Elementary School in Marshall.