Ben Smith resigns after 15 seasons leading Blue Jays swim team

Ben Smith’s resignation closes a 15-season run at Jamestown High School and hands the Blue Jays swimming and diving programs their biggest transition in nearly two decades. For Jamestown families, that means the coach who had shaped both boys and girls swimming has stepped away at a moment when the program was still winning at the state level.

Smith had been involved with the Jamestown High School swimming and diving programs for 18 seasons, and NDHSAA still lists him as the coach for both boys and girls. His departure matters because swimming is built on routine, technique and trust, and those are harder to preserve when a long-tenured coach leaves. In a school of 722 students in 2024, the loss of a coach with that much continuity reaches beyond the pool deck.

The boys team’s recent results underline what is changing. Jamestown finished seventh at the 2025 NDHSAA State Championships with 147 points, then climbed to fourth at the 2026 state meet with 180 points after placing fifth at the WDA Championships and finishing 9-2 in duals. Earlier recognition followed Smith as well: WDA Sports named him WDA Coach of the Year after Jamestown’s boys placed fourth at the WDA Championships, and he was also named boys state Coach of the Year in the resignation report. That kind of back-to-back success makes his exit more than a routine staff change.

Now the school has to decide who inherits a program that has been steady for years. The next coach will step into daily work that includes early-season planning, meet preparation and offseason coordination, all of which shape how swimmers and divers develop from the Jamestown High School Pool to conference and state competition. For athletes already in the system, the biggest question is how much of Smith’s structure remains intact and how quickly a new coach can earn the same level of buy-in.

Smith’s exit may also ripple beyond Jamestown High School. He has been tied to University of Jamestown women’s swimming and diving and Prairie Rose Aquatics, which makes his departure relevant to the wider local swimming pipeline. After 15 seasons leading the Blue Jays, Jamestown now has to protect the foundation Smith built while deciding what comes next.