For the upcoming 2013-2014 CCIW Season, two Millikin sports teams will introduce new head coaches. In this issue of the Decaturian, we introduced and welcomed Coach Jeff Smith as the new head coach for the Men’s and Women’s swimming team, who is also a Millikin Alum from the class of 2011.
Smith has already established high expectations of his athletes. Coach Smith looks to ensure each swimmer reaches his or her full potential both in and out of the water. He also expects that each swimmer comes to practice ready to compete and, “ready to do whatever they have to do in order to get better as a swimmer and achieve their goals.”
Coach Smith has set goals for the swimming team and set the bar for “100 percent best times at conference,” along with a higher number of Millikin swimmers qualifying for the championship finals and continuing the tradition of having the best team spirit in the CCIW. When the swimmers are not in the pool, Smith’s goal is to encourage high academic and social standards to push the team GPA to 3.0 or higher and bring in a great recruiting class. The new coach also comes with new experience and new coaching strategies. Coach Smith plans on having “a balance of training for speed and training for endurance.” Smith is also looking for ways to make each practice engaging with “a new and interesting challenge for every swimmer.”
As Smith transitions into his new position, he looks forward to some of the experiences he will have with the swimming team. As a graduate from MU, Coach Smith looked forward to seeing his fellow swimmers, whom he referred to as his “swimming family,” of which created lifelong bonds along the way. As a coach, he looks to make sure every swimmer has the opportunity to enjoy that same “Big Blue Experience” during their remaining years at Millikin, while also “realizing their full potential in the pool and in the classroom.”
Coach Smith feels the freshman class will “give a lot of depth,” especially on the men’s side considering “the past few years there has been some great talent but not always enough bodies.” Smith looks forward to seeing how these new collegiate athletes adapt to the new challenges they will face.
A new coach also brings new changes to the athletic program. According to Coach Smith, one of the significant changes this year is the presence of a full time assistant coach dedicated to the swimmers. Coach Blake Braden will also work closely with the swimming team as Assistant Coach. Smith feels this will “be a big help on the pool deck having an extra set of eyes and ears to work with the athletes.” Coach Smith is looking forward to working with his former teammate and the “wealth of swimming knowledge and experience” Coach Braden possesses.
As far as the 2013-2014 CCIW swimming season is concerned, Coach Smith is looking forward to coaching against MillikinsSwimming alum, and Smith’s former roommate, Coach Chris Sykes at Illinois College. As a swimmer, Smith always looked forward to the atmosphere and the level of competition at the CCIW Conference Championship meet, so he is excited to see it and all of the meets from the “coaching side.”