Bentley University Men's Swimming

Samko, now in her 21st year as the Aquatics Director and Head Mens and Womens Swim Coach at Bentley University, has developed the Bentley swim program into one of the most competitive in the Northeast-10 Conference. All of the school records have been bettered numerous times since she inherited a two-year-old program in 1996. Samko led Bentley to six straight NEISDA womens championships from 2002-07, and also the 2010 and 2012 championships, and the mens team has captured the NEISDA title seven times from 2001-12 before leaving the organization.  In 2010, the men's team captured the Northeast-10 Conference championship for the first time in the program's history. The 2010-11 year saw Anne Kaduboski and Jessica Hodsdon become the first swimming All-Americas in Bentley annals. During Samkos first 20 years at Bentley, shes led the womens team to a 205-64 record, including a remarkable 107-14 from 1999-2008, and the mens team to a 150-73 record. The Falcons have finished in the top four of each of the first 11 Northeast-10 Conference championships. The 2012-13 season saw her top 300 victories as Bentley's head coach and 400 overall as a head coach. Samko has received the Charles Silvia Award as the NEISDA Mens Swim Coach of the Year three times (2001, 2003, 2006), has been the NEISDA Womens Swim Coach of the Year four times (2002, 2003, 2011, 2012) and was the 2010 Northeast-10 Men's Swimming Coach of the Year. Samko arrived at Bentley with 20 years of coaching experience, including 14 as a head coach at three different schools, including the University of The South in Sewanee, Tenn. from 1991-94 where she also served as pool director.         Samko was also the womens swim coach at Southern Connecticut State from 1982-87 and at Tufts from 1976-82. Her tenure at Southern saw her take on a team on the verge of extinction to one that was undefeated in her final year and produced a pair of NCAA Division II qualifiers.       Her six years at Tufts were highlighted by eight Division III All-Americas, numerous New England championships and a sixth-place finish in the 1982 NCAA Division III Championships        Samko, a Short Hills, N.J. native, is a 1976 graduate of Boston College where she was a two-time swim MVP. She became the first woman inducted into the BC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982, and was the 1987 New England Coach of the Year.       Samko, who serves on the NCAA Men's and Women's Swimming Committee, now resides in Arlington with her husband, Bill, the offensive line coach at Holy Cross. They have four children, including Michael, a junior and baseball player at Bentley.

Danehy. A native of Billerica, Danehy has also coached diving at Weston High School and Billerica High School and was the head coach of Mass Pike Diving. During his tenure as a diving coach, Danehy has coached several high school All-Americas and a national Junior Olympic qualifier. In addition, he has worked with many Massachusetts state champions and several New Hampshire state champions. At Bentley, he has coached four different men to New England championships, including two-time All-America Matt Cupps and honorable mention All-America Jon Andrews, and five-time women's All-America Nicola Mancini. Danehy has been recognized by the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association as the 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011 and 2012 recipient of the Charles Batterman Mens Diving Coach of the Year, and was the organization's 2007 Women's Diving Coach of the Year. He's been the Northeast-10 Men's Diving Coach of the Year four times (2008-09, 2009-10, 2011-12, 2015-16) and the Northeast-10 Women's Diving Coach of the Year each of the last four years. Danehy now resides in Ashland with his wife, Dr. Amy Danehy, and their daughters, Kelli (8) and Erin (4).