Loren Smith - Swimming & Diving Coach - Eastern Michigan University Athletics

Loren Smith

Title:
Diving Coach

Loren “Buck” Smith enters in eighth year in 2007 as the head diving coach for both the men’s and the women’s teams at Eastern Michigan University.

During his time at Eastern Michigan, Smith’s divers have placed in the top eight at the Mid-American Conference Championships 65 times. EMU divers have won nine MAC Championship titles, set three MAC records, three school records and a pool record that has stood for 18 years. Smith has had a diver named MAC Diver of the Year in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2007. He is also a five-time MAC Coach of the Year winner.

In 2006, Smith’s divers played a vital role in the EMU women’s team first-ever MAC Championship. The Eagles placed five of the top seven divers on the one-meter board and claimed four of the top six places from the three-meter. On the men’s side, three divers in the top five on the three-meter board and three of the top seven spots on the one-meter. Smith was named MAC Coach of the Year at both the men’s and women’s championship meets.

Prior to Eastern Michigan, Smith was the coach at Oakland University during the 1999-2000 season where he coached the Mid-Continent Conference Diver of the Year and qualified three divers for the Division I Zone meet.

Smith started coaching at Walled Lake Central/Western High Schools during the 1991-1992 season. In his seven years as the coach, he produced 12 state qualifiers, 10 state finalists, five All-Star divers and five All-Americans. Five of his divers went on to compete at Division I colleges.

Smith is also the head diving coach for Legacy Diving. In the seven year history of Legacy Diving, Smith has had 43 junior national qualifiers, 31 junior national finalists, eight national champions, six silver medalists and four bronze medalists. He has also had a Junior World Finalist and coached his team to two JO Regional titles, as well as a third place finish at the 2007 East National Championships. Smith has also coached six Canadian JO National finalists. At the senior national level, Smith has had 21 Senior National qualifiers and 11 finalists, along with coaching the 2006 US Open one-meter men’s champion. Legacy Diving won the US Open team title in 2006, as well as taking third place for the men’s team and fifth place overall at the 2005 Senior National Championships.

Smith lives in Ypsilanti with his wife Kara, daughter Allie and their two dogs.