Old colleagues facing off Saturday
Posted on January 31, 2008
Samantha Smith and Matt Barany once coached together at JMU, but Saturday they’ll find themselves on opposite sides of the pool. Smith is now the head coach of the Dukes and her old friend Barany the coach of the University of Richmond.
Three years ago, Smith and Barany co-coached the James Madison swim team, but since May 2005 the two have taken on programs by themselves. On Saturday, they meet again to display what they have accomplished.
Compared to the 1-8 record JMU ended with last season, the Dukes’ 7-4 record shows marked improvement. Smith attributes this season’s success to a blend of freshman vigor and senior leadership.
“This year’s been phenomenal,” she said. “We’ve had a group of freshman who were ready to come in and make an impact and upperclassman to show them how to lead.”
She also stressed that dedication stood at the core of their team’s excellence.
“Swimming isn’t just something you do; it’s a lifestyle,” Smith said. “It changes your everyday routine, energy levels, and dietary needs. It’s a level of commitment most people would never really be knowledgeable of.”
This weekend is a chance to see the JMU swim team in action. Saturday at noon the Dukes participate in their final home meet before the Colonial Athletic Assocation tournament. The Dukes host a Spider team that has won the Atlantic 10 conference six consecutive years.
“Richmond is a nationally-ranked team, and we’re going against a lot of quality athletes,” Smith said. “They are at a level where JMU can be in the future. You can’t be the best without competing against the best.”
But JMU will have one sure advantage against the Spiders; Richmond doesn’t have any divers this season, after losing many team members to graduation in 2007.
“We have somewhat handicapped ourselves, because we’re not fielding any divers this year,” Richmond coach Matt Barany said. “We had maybe 50 percent of our points return this year, and then half of our team is freshmen.”
Richmond won its most recent meet at William & Mary, the defending Colonial Athletic Association champions, by a score of 154-140. The Sunday competition was Richmond’s only home meet of the season, as the Spiders are forced to travel often because of facility limitations and the fact that they don’t have a men’s team.
“It’s difficult for us to get meets because we have six-lane pool, and like JMU we’re only a women’s team,” Barany said. “So it’s hard for us to convince a team like Maryland to come here because their men’s team is gonna have to be idle.”
For JMU, its final regular season competition of the year will be its fifth home meet. The CAA Championships are scheduled for Feb. 27-Mar. 1.
