In every athletic season, Guilford sports teams go through changes. The seniors graduate and the incoming first-years get welcomed to the team. Yet, for some sports teams, this year brings even more changes.In the summer offseason, Guilford hired Dave McCain and Tom Carmean for the men’s and women’s tennis and lacrosse teams. Guilford then bolstered the men’s basketball and football coaching staffs by appointing Caleb Kimbrough and Dan Baranik as an assistant coach for each team.

McCain has experience as both a coach and an instructor. Most of his 40 plus years of coaching experience came from personal instruction on the national and international stage. His students have won 12 United States Tennis Association (USTA) gold balls, earned over $6 million in college tennis scholarships, and captured USTA national junior indoor and clay court championships.

“Moving forward, we’ll have a coach who has valuable experience and knows the game,” said Athletic Director Tom Palombo. “He’ll be able to recruit players, bring stability, and maintain a good, competitive team.”

McCain spent the previous five years coaching at Greensboro College, where he guided the women’s team to 38 wins and the men’s team to 21 wins. He also coached men’s tennis for two years at Sangamon State College, where he twice received the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) District 20 Coach of the Year award.

Carmean was named the head coach for the men’s lacrosse team. Not only does he coach, he was a prolific lacrosse player himself. He played 11 years for the Boston Blazers and was an all-pro five times. He also racked up six team MVP awards.

Futhermore, Carmean enjoyed a successful coaching career as well. For the past 11 seasons at Amherst College he won 82 games. Amherst went 7-7 in 2010 with four losses by three goals or less. They boasted a winning record in their conference, which ranks among the nation’s top NCAA Division III men’s lacrosse leagues.

“Tom is a good communicator,” said Palombo. “He will build the program by focusing on fundamentals and discipline; the team will be instantly better on and off the field because of the structure.”

In addition to coaching lacrosse, Carmean served on the Division III Men’s Lacrosse Regional Advisory Committee and assisted in Amherst’s community outreach program that raised support for pediatric brain tumor research and Hurricane Katrina relief. The program also provided tutoring for local children with special needs.

Baranik was appointed to be the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. He will guide senior Billy Watkins and junior Luke Vandall throughout the season.

“He puts the kids first, on and off the field as well,” said Palombo. “He definitely brings a positive impact for the team; he helps to motivate the players.”

Baranik was the wide receivers’ and recruiting coordinator for the U.S. Military Academy. He was also a head coach for 11 years, most notably at Waynesburg College in Pennsylvania. There, in his last four seasons, his teams had four straight winning seasons and shared the 1998 Presidents Athletic Conference title.

Kimbrough, a Chapel Hill, N.C. resident, had a four-year career with the Quakers. He started almost all of the games at point guard and averaged almost seven points per game. Career-wise, he ranks fourth in assists with 358 and third in steals with 130. During his four years, Guilford won the 2008 Old Dominion Athletic Association (ODAC) title and made two NCAA playoff appearances.

Palombo knows Kimbrough’s playing experience will help with coaching.

“He has familiarity with the program and is extremely competitive,” said Palombo. “He was the one trying to beat everyone on every drill; he’ll expect 100 percent effort and accountability from the players.