Elizabeth Cynthia Barr (born December 17, 1971), later known by her married name Beth Isaak,[2] is an American former competition swimmer for the University of Texas who was a backstroke specialist and 1988 Seoul Olympic silver medalist for the United States in the women's 4×100-meter medley relay.

[5] While swimming for the Greater Pensacola Club at the highly competitive U.S. Nationals in March 1986 in Orlando, Florida, Barr won the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 55.73.

[10][11][12] As a 16-year-old Junior at Booker T. Washington High School, she represented the United States at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

East Germany, the former world record holder, won the gold with a comfortable four second margin of victory over the American team.

[13] Two other fellow Greater Pensacola Aquatic Club swimmers competed with her at the Olympics that year, backstroker Andrea Hayes, who also swam for the University of Texas, and Daniel Waters.

[3] Barr attended and swam for the University of Texas, varsity swim team from around 1990-1993 where she was trained by Head women's coach Mark Schubert, a Hall of Fame inductee.

[16] She lost a year of training and competition as a result of a compound fracture of her right arm caused by an accident horseback riding in May 1989 when she was thrown around 30 feet during a high speed turn.

[17] Her recovery involved several surgeries which required plates, screws, and skin grafts, and took months of physical therapy to rehabilitate.

[18] In the early 90's Barr trained for a period with Steve Bultman at his Mission Bay Makos club in Boca Raton.

[4] She relocated to Washington D.C. after ending her career as a competitive swimmer and took a position as a business lobbyist on Capitol Hill.