Utah Swim & Dive’s Jos Smith Promoted To Associate Coach

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah swimming and diving program has announced the elevation of Jos Smith to associate coach ahead of the 2022-23 season. Smith enters his fifth season with the Utes, primarily working with the middle distance groups during his time in Salt Lake City.

“Jos has done a tremendous job here at Utah in the last four years and he knows what it takes to be successful team in the pool and classroom with a strong team culture,” said head coach Jonas Persson on the promotion. “Since I stepped in to the interim head coach position in February, Jos really stepped up and has a been a great colleague to me and the other coaches, and is well respected and liked among our student-athletes. Once I was named head coach, he continued impressing all of us and it was a no brainer that he should have an elevated role on our staff. I’m very excited to see him excel in this role and be a part of his journey at Utah, and work together to make our program better than it’s ever been.”

Since Smith arrived in Salt Lake City, he has sent 12 of his athletes to the NCAA Championships between the middle distance athletes and relay teams. Smith has coached eight NCAA All-Americans during his tenure at Utah and has been involved in 17 school records.

Last year, Smith saw his 200-medley relay team of Andrei Ungur, Jaek Horner, Cooper deRyk and Finn O’Haimhirgin set a new school record of 1:23.62 to place 16th at the NCAA Championships and earn All-American honors. The Utes broke the previous school record just three weeks prior at the Pac-12 Championships. Later at the championships, the 400-medley relay group of Ungur, Horner, O’Haimhirgin and Ben Waterman also broke their own school record set just weeks before at the conference event, re-breaking the record with a time of 3:05.84.

Over the past two seasons, Smith has been crucial in Horner’s growth in the 100 and 200 breaststroke. Horner broke the school record in the 100 breast at the Pac-12 Championships this past season with a time of 52.69, while he ranks second all-time in the 200 breast. Under Smith’s guidance, Horner now is a part of three school records and is in the top-six of each of his events all-time.

In 2019-20, Smith guided former Ute standout Audrey Reimer to school records in the 100 and 200 backstroke, while she went on to earn All-American honors after earning NCAA qualifying times before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Reimer posted the school records at the Pac-12 Championships to lead the Utah women, breaking the 100 back time that had stood since 2012 in the leg of the 400-medley relay and breaking her own 200 back time by more than two seconds.

Also during Smith’s second season, the Ute quartet of David Fridlander, Andrew Britton, Cooper deRyk and Liam O’Haimhirgin finished as the Pac-12 runner-ups in the 400-medley relay as the highest finish in program history in the event.

Smith joined Utah swimming for the 2018-19 season where he started his Utah career with NCAA Championship trips for Austin Phillips and Daniel McArthur, who he coached throughout the year, as well as three relay squads.
During his four-year career at Utah, Smith has led recruiting efforts by organizing and overseeing all unofficial and official visits, as well as manage CARA and RARA documentation for the program. He also has recently acted as the NIL liaison between his student-athletes and compliance as the NIL legislation has entered collegiate athletics.

Smith arrived in Salt Lake City after two years as an assistant swim coach and director of recruiting at Pitt. While working with the Panthers, both teams increased their point totals at the ACC Championships, breaking 17 school records in 2016-17. In total, nine Panthers advanced to the NCAA Championships. Smith was also an assistant swim coach at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Before joining the Wilmington staff, he served as both a volunteer and assistant coach with the University of Georgia. With the Bulldogs, he assisted the 2014 national championship women’s team and the No. 5-ranked men’s team in the country.

An accomplished swimmer in his four years at the University of Florida, Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science in May of 2010. In his time with the Gators, he led the team to a second place finish at the SEC Championships and a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships.

Individually, he competed in both the SEC Championships and NCAA Championships. Smith was a four-time NCAA All-American, two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll honoree and competed in the 2008 Olympic Trials in the 50 and 100 free.