Dec. 6, 2007

FOUR OF A KIND

Richmond recruited the quartet of Jessica Witt, Lauren Beaudreau, Katie Sieben and Alex Helland from across the nation to push the Spiders further atop the Atlantic 10's swimming elite.

The four are a fraction of the many talented swimmers competing for Richmond this year. What sets this group of four apart is a decision they made at the end of the season to stay in Richmond, live together over the summer and collectively train with head coach Matt Barany, rather than return to their respective hometowns. The result has been described by their coach as a "competitive sisterhood," which has raised their performances to an even greater level.

"Lauren started it two summers ago with the decision to stay after her freshman year," says Barany. "She accomplished a lot in competition over the summer and got her Olympic Trial cuts in three events. I think that opened the eyes to some of the other swimmers. It helps that they have each other, but the reason that they stayed was the dedication they have to the sport."

Since taking the head coaching position at Richmond three years ago, Barany has continued a long tradition of a winning program, which currently includes a run of six straight Conference titles. After being named the A-10 Coach of the Year in his first two seasons, Barany believes this group of swimmers is setting a standard at Richmond that will continue to produce both team and individual success.

One needs to look no further than the Conference list of 2007's top individual times to observe the dominance of the Richmond foursome. In the A-10's 18 swimming events, 11 of the fastest times come from Beaudreau, Helland, Sieben or Witt. In addition to their individual achievements, the four have united to clock the top time of the year in three of the five relay events and at least two of the swimmers are featured in the other two relay teams, which also happen to be the fastest in the Conference.

"Staying in Richmond and continuing the same training system was very important," says Beaudreau. "Being with the coaches that I know I can work well with has really helped. Along with the other swimmers on the team, it's definitely helped better prepare me for the elite kind of meets. I've done things here that I wouldn't have otherwise been able to do. Plus, I've got to become good friends with a good group of girls."


Beaudreau is the reigning A-10 Most Outstanding Performer, an honor she was earned on the heels of teammate Witt, who took home the award the previous season. From Lafayette, Calif., Beaudreau was the first-ever Richmond freshman to compete in the NCAA Championships and has since been a fixture among the Conference leaders since being named the Atlantic 10's Most Outstanding Rookie in 2006. She has since competed at nationals for a second time and set Conference records in the in 200-yard individual medley (2:00.81), 200-yard breastroke (2:14.87) and 100-yard breastroke (1:01.81). She will compete at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials in those events after qualifying at the USA Swimming National Championships in 2006.

Sharing the role of seniority is Jessica Witt, a senior from Fullerton, Calif. Witt holds the Conference record in the 400-yard individual medley (4:14.89), as well as the Richmond record in the 500-yard freestyle (4:50.44). She's appeared in two straight NCAA Championships and currently holds the top times in four different events this season, the most in the Conference. The two-time All-American is described as a quiet leader whose talent is matched by her unwavering work ethic.

"Jessica has really proven herself and along with Lauren, they've been terrific role models," says Barany. "They don't swim the same events and each come from different training backgrounds, so they each have their specialties. They're as talented and as they are diverse. The fact that younger teammates have had the chance to draw on their experience has been extremely beneficial."

While Witt and Beaudreau each had multiple years of competitive collegiate experience behind them, teammates Katie Sieben and Alex Helland made the decision to commit to a high level of off-season training after just a single year with the Spiders. Now sophomores, the pair are experiencing a level of success that mirrors that of their older teammates.

"It's really impressive that they were able to dedicate themselves and display such a level of commitment," says Witt of her younger teammates. "Obviously it's paying off because they've done so well."

Sieben was named the Most Outstanding Rookie Performer at 2007 A-10 Championships after capturing medals in each of the six events she competed in. A resident of Seymour, Conn., Sieben was named the A-10 Performer of the Week on Nov. 20 after she posted the third-fastest 100-yard butterfly list time in the nation this year. Her time was the second fastest in program annals and accompanies two other second-ranked times at Richmond in the 50-yard freestyle (23.09) and 100-yard freestyle (50.17). She'll join Beaudreau at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials this summer after qualifying earlier this year.

"It was good to have the diversity of experience in the house," says Sieben. "But in general, we don't really notice that we're a couple years apart. We all got along very well and because we were all had the same physical stress from practice, we were each understanding and there to help one other."

Alex Helland is Richmond's top backstroker as she posted the team's fastest time ever in the 200-yard backstroke (2:01.75) and in the 100-yard backstroke (56.21) in just her first year. A native of Southlake, Texas, Helland credits Beaudreau's choice to stay in Richmond in each of her first three summers as a major reason for her own decision to stay. Much of her own success this year, which includes two A-10 Performer of the Week honors, has come from the work she put forth in the off-season.

"Knowing what Lauren did after her freshman year, getting her trials cut in the middle of the summer, made it very appealing," said Hellend. "The training program at Richmond is different than anything I've ever done before, so I felt that being away from it would hinder me this year."

Richmond has had individual standouts in the past, but never have the Spiders had as many as this season. The balance within each of their events, coupled with their success of balancing differing personalities, has created a bond that each admit has been worth the sacrifice of a traditional summer at home.

"It's a unique relationship that they have," said head coach Barany. "As college students they may not see the full value of the relationship to each other, but as they get a little more experience, leave school or move on from swimming, they'll look back and recognize the summers spent together in Richmond were special."