By Nate Sandals
Michigan Daily
Lindsey Smith embraces her role as a captain of the Michigan women's swimming and diving team. One of her important duties as a captain is to help the freshmen adjust to collegiate swimming. This duty becomes a little more interesting when Lindsey is helping her younger sister Hannah.

"She treats me the same as all of the other freshmen," Hannah said. "But she does give me rides back to my dorm after practice."

The Smith sisters have always swam together. When Lindsey was nine and Hannah was seven they started swimming in a summer league in their hometown of Dexter. When Lindsey started training year-round as a high school freshman, so did then-seventh-grader Hannah.

Though both sisters have followed the same path to Canham Natatorium, they are not the same type of swimmer.

Junior Lindsey is a prolific freestyle swimmer whose power is masked by the elegance of her stroke. She is a three-time All-American and has won three Big Ten individual championships in her first two years.

Hannah comes to Michigan highly acclaimed in the backstroke with excellent physical ability and lots of potential.

The sisters don't usually swim the same events but in last Friday's meet against Michigan State they both swam in the 100-yard backstroke. Hannah won, but the sisters say they had a good time being in the same race.

They weren't the only one's who were entertained.

"That event is one of Hannah's best," coach Jim Richardson said. "But Lindsey gave her a run for her money. It was a fun race to watch."

Richardson appreciates the opportunity to coach the sisters and can see a lot of similarities in their demeanor both in and out of the pool.

The coach likes to have fun with the sisters during practice. He chides Hannah to "take down the old lady" and makes sure to remind Lindsey that, "the young one is right on (her) heels."

The sisters take the jokes with a grain of salt and are happy to be able to swim with each other again.

"I'm really glad to have Hannah here," Lindsey said. "It's been fun to spend more time with her."

Hannah is appreciative of Lindsey's help, especially outside the pool. Lindsey has taken time to help Hannah adjust to the new academic expectations of college.

"Hannah cares a lot about academics," Lindsey said. "I've done what I can to help her in that area."

It's also important for Hannah to know that her sister is there for her when she needs someone to talk to.

"It's great to know that I can go to her house and hang out when I need to get out of the dorm," Hannah said.

Richardson, for one, sees a lot of potential in Hannah and knows that if she improves even half as much as Lindsey did during her freshman year she will have a storied career as a Wolverine.

The coach is happy to have the Smiths on his team both for their talent and their personality.

"Hannah and Lindsey are great swimmers, but they're also great people," he said.