W. Lax | At 2 or 20, Penn made for Seaman

Many people still remember Barb Seaman as a two-year-old running around Franklin Field.

Seaman's father Tony coached Penn's men's lacrosse team from 1983-1990, winning the Division I Coach of the Year award and four Ivy League titles. The Quakers had made just two NCAA tournament appearances before his tenure, and they didn't reach another one after his departure for 15 years.

After leaving Penn, the elder Seaman coached lacrosse powerhouse Johns Hopkins and is currently at Towson.

His daughter, however, has returned to her old playground, 16 years later. She doesn't remember the campus from her childhood, but she grew reacquainted with Penn during a recruitment trip.

"I came to visit it with the coach, and I just fell in love with the campus," Barb Seaman said.

"My dad used to work there, but I didn't even know about it. It's just that everything fit perfect with it, so I got really lucky in that way."

Although her father's coaching was not particularly influential in her decision to go to Penn, it did guide her through her athletic career as a youth. He never officially coached one of her teams, but he was an effective post-game critiquer.

"I'd always get some helpful hints on the way home after the game," she said. "I found out what I did mostly wrong."

And even in subtle ways, he impacted her development.

"I think a coach's daughter understands being told when they're not good at something or need to work harder on something, and she's good at that," Penn coach Karin Brower said.

"She definitely pushes herself really hard, expects a lot from herself."

Tony was not the only Seaman who impacted Barb's athletic choices growing up. Barb's older brother Greg, now a junior midfielder at Princeton, was one of her biggest role models.

"He plays all different kinds of sports too, and I always kind of wanted to be like him when I was little," Seaman said.

"I would always run after him and play whatever he was playing."

As a result, she became a girl of many talents. She played soccer and basketball - just like her brother - and picked up field hockey during high school.

Now, her versatility may come in handy. Last season, Seaman played on the attack for 10 games, notching seven goals and two assists.

This year, she is going to play a new position: midfield. Her experience playing other sports will help her with the change.

"Especially in basketball and field hockey, I was primarily a defensive player," Seaman said. "I think that has really helped me switch into the midfield position.

Even in a new position, her "coach's child" mentality is still apparent.

"Her biggest strength is that she talks a lot on defense," Brower said.

"A lot of people seem to shy away from that and they don't want to act so sure in what they're doing. But she's very confident, and she does see the game well. She says what she sees, which is really helpful."

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