Matt Barany Position: Head Coach Experience: Fourth Season Alma Mater: James Madison, 1995

Email: mbarany@richmond.edu
Phone: 804-289-8750

A-10 Coach of the Year in 2006, 2007, 2008

Matt Barany has continued a long-established winning tradition at the University of Richmond, making the Spiders the A-10's premier women's swimming program.

Taking the reigns of the Spider program in May of 2005 after serving as the director of swimming at James Madison University, Barany has helped extend Richmond's streak to an unprecedented seven-consecutive Atlantic 10 Championships, which is a conference record for the sport.

Under Barany's direction, the Spiders captured the 2008 A-10 Championship -- the team's sixth-consecutive win by more than 200 points. He guided sophomore Katie Sieben to an NCAA `A'-cut in the 100 fly to mark the fifth-straight season Richmond has advanced at least one to the NCAA Championships.

Two A-10 individual honors remained in Richmond hands during Barany's third year as senior All-American Jessica Witt was named the sixth-straight Most Outstanding Performer from Richmond, while he extended the A-10 Coach of the Year streak at Richmond to seven-straight.

All of the athletic success was mirrored with excellence in the classroom. The Spiders accumulated a team GPA of 3.15 during the 2008 Spring semester, led by the 3.94 from Sieben. Beaudreau and Sieben each garnered A-10 Academic All-Conference honors.

Four more school records fell during the 2007-08 campaign, running Barany's total to 20 set over his three-year career. The 400 medley relay's record-breaking performance at the A-10 Championship marked the 12th conference record to fall in Barany's tenure.

During the summer of 2008, both Sieben and Beaudreau competed in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, after Beaudreau won the 200 IM event at the 2006 Speedo Junior National Championships with a mark of 2:18.38, setting a new Junior National record. Sieben earned her spot during the 2007 U.S. Summer National in the 100 fly, while Beaudreau dropped her previous 200 IM time to 2:16.85 at the same meet.

A Midlothian, Va. native, Barany guided both the men and women's programs at JMU in 2004-05 after serving as the men's head coach the three previous seasons. Barany led the women's program to four school records and had one of his swimmers earn an NCAA "B" qualifying time in his first year with the program.

While coaching the men's team at Madison, he mentored nine CAA Champions and seven school record-holders. Four new pool records were established during Barany's tenure.

Barany graduated from James Madison in 1995 with a B.A. in English. He earned a secondary education certificate in 1996 while serving as an assistant coach on the CAA Championship men's team. Barany later put his degree to work in the Peace Corps where he spent two years teaching English in rural Kenya.

A decorated student-athlete who served as team captain during his senior season, Barany swam freestyle on four-straight Conference Champions (1992-95) and three ECAC title teams. He was a two-time recipient of the Steve Miller Award, an annual team honor that recognizes athletes who best exemplify enthusiasm, energy, dedication and love for swimming.

In 1999, Barany started the women's swimming program at Randolph-Macon College. During his final season (2001) in Ashland, Va., he earned Old Dominion Athletic Conference, Atlantic States Conference and Randolph Macon Coach of the Year honors.

Barany returned to Harrisonburg on July 18, 2001. His first team set three school records and finished second at the CAA Championships. Another second-place finish in 2003 was highlighted by a conference record in the 200 medley relay and five league titles. In 2004, the squad went 9-4 in dual meets and finished third at the CAA meet.

A member of the College Swim Coaches of America, Barany is also affiliated with the American Swim Coaches Association. A graduate of Clover Hill High School in Midlothian, Va., resides in Richmond.