Former USC All-American Amanda Smith joined the FGCU swimming and diving program as an assistant coach on Aug. 12, 2014.
Prior to recently completing her third and final season with the Green and Blue, Smith was named the interim head coach in July 2016 following the departure of six-time CCSA Coach of the Year Neal Studd and played a large role in keeping the 2016-17 recruiting class intact during the transition period.
In her final season with the Eagles, FGCU claimed its eighth CCSA Championship in nine years and saw swimmers advance to the NCAA Championships for the sixth straight season. The 200 free relay team finished 15th in the country and earned CSCAA Honorable Mention All-American honors, while FGCU turned in its third best finish by tying for 41st at the championship meet. Additionally, a record nine individuals earned First Team or Honorable Mention Scholar All-American accolades.
During the 2015-16 season, Smith helped lead the Eagles to its seventh CCSA Championship in a span of eight years as they claimed the crown in record fashion, tallying a record total of 1,670 points and defeating runner-up Liberty by 312 points. Additionally, the program set 12 school records, achieved its highest ranking in program history as they were tabbed No. 19 by CollegeSwimming.com and saw individuals advance to the NCAA Championships for the fifth straight season.
Smith helped led the Eagles to one of the program's most successful seasons in 2014-15 when they finished in a mid-major best 26th at the 2015 NCAA Championships. Also, the Eagles earned 37.5 points in the championship meet, surpassing its previous high of 22 points recorded in 2014.
Previously, Smith served as a volunteer Director of Operations for the Ohio State women’s team for the 2013-14 season, Smith’s new role with the Green and Blue marks her first full-time coaching position with a Division-I program.
Since graduating from USC in 2012 with a Bachelor’s in Human Performance, Smith has been working on her Master’s degree in education and coaching full-time in her hometown, Cincinnati. Splitting time between two programs, Smith acted as the associate head coach at Mason High School and as an assistant coach with both the Mason Manta Rays age group and National programs, as well as the co-head coach of the Masters team.
After spending the first two years of her collegiate career at Indiana, Smith transferred to USC, where she won a total of nine All-American awards and served as co-captain during her final season.
During Smith’s tenure with the Trojans, the program claimed back-to-back third-place finishes at the NCAA Championship. Attending the 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012 NCAA Championships, Smith’s best accomplishments came during her senior year where she placed 15th in the 500 yard-freestyle (4:40.59), 13th in the 200-yard butterfly (1:56.32) and anchored the 800-yard freestyle relay to place fourth with a 6:59.12, which remains as the fastest in Trojan history.
In addition to her coaching work, Smith has served as a contributing author for SwimSwam.com. Publishing over a dozen features, her most popular have been through her “Coach’s Eye” series, where she breaks down a single race from some of swimming’s most notable athletes for a more statistical insight.
