Mike Smith Named Army's Director of Track & Field/Cross Country

Sept. 18, 2014
► The Smith File
► What They Are Saying

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Mike Smith, who served the cross country and track and field programs at Kansas State for 20 years, has been named the Director of Track & Field/Cross Country at the United States Military Academy, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Boo Corrigan announced today.

Smith, who has coached two Olympians and an NCAA champion, has been a part of three Big 12 championship teams. He becomes the 11th coach in program history.

“We are very excited to welcome Mike to the Army West Point family,” said Corrigan. “Mike’s profile stuck out from our remarkable pool of candidates and we all truly believe that he is the perfect person for the job. He has more than 20 years of experience with a great Kansas State program, and has a proven track record as a superior recruiter, coach and mentor. We can’t wait to get him started as we usher in a new chapter for the cross country and track and field programs.”

“I want to thank Boo Corrigan, Jason Butikofer, Bob Beretta and the entire search committee for their patience and hard work in bringing me to West Point,” Smith said. I have been at Kansas State for 20 years and never really considered leaving. In fact, I thought that I would be at Kansas State for the remainder of my career. Leading the track and field/cross country programs at West Point is the opportunity of a lifetime. I am humbled by this opportunity, I am honored to have been selected and I want to serve the institution and the Corps of Cadets to the best of my ability. I am well aware of the expectations that exist here and I intend to set a standard that will meet those expectations. I know that there will be challenges ahead, I know that the road will be rough and that this will take time. We will be true to the process and the outcomes will follow.

“I look forward to getting to know the cadet-athletes in the program and helping them achieve their individual goals and inspiring them to work toward a common objective.”

Smith joined the coaching staff at Kansas State in 1994 and took over the reins of the cross country programs in 2004. In his nine years leading the men’s and women’s cross country teams, he has guided four individuals (2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012) and one team (2010 women) to the NCAA championships, including five consecutive trips to the NCAA Cross Country Championship from 2008-12 where K-State was represented on the women’s side.

When he took control of the cross country program in 2004, Smith guided Matthew Chesang to one of the most prolific seasons in Kansas State history. Chesang finished third at the Big 12 championships, second at the Midwest Regional Championships and earned All-America honors at the NCAA championships. His 12th-place finish was the highest NCAA finish for a Kansas State runner since 1971.

In 2009, Smith coached Beverly Ramos to one of the best individual seasons in women’s cross country recent history. In addition to earning All-America recognition, Ramos tallied two wins and placed sixth at the Pre-NCAA Invitational, the Big 12 Championship and the NCAA Midwest Regional. She also led the Wildcats to a sixth-place team finish at the 2008 Big 12 Championship and ninth at the Midwest Regional.

As an assistant with the cross country programs, Smith helped Kansas State win the 1998 Big 12 title, earn three straight Midwest Regional titles and capture NCAA Championship finishes of 13th, 5th and 10th.

In his 20 years with the Wildcats, Smith has coached athletes to 22 All-American awards, 16 conference championships, one NCAA title, two Olympic games and four International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) world championships.

Sonia Gaskin has been the most recent athlete to excel under Smith's tutelage. Gaskin had a standout sophomore year that included first team All-American honors at the NCAA outdoor championships in the 800m (2:04.37) and 4x400m relay outdoors. She became the first Wildcat women’s runner since Korene Hinds in 2001 to earn first team in the 800m outdoors.

Smith also coached Christian Smith, a five-time All-American and 2006 NCAA Indoor Champion in the mile. A member of the 2008 United States Olympic team, Smith was third at the U.S. Olympic Trials with an 800m time of 1:45.47 and set a collegiate record in the 1000m (2:19.57) as well as school records in the 800m (1:44.86) and 1500m (3:38.10) outdoors. He was the Big 12 1000m indoor champion in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and the Big 12 800m outdoor champion in 2006.

In addition to his coaching duties with the Wildcats, Smith has continued to coach Kansas State alumna Beverly Ramos. He helped her qualify for the past two IAAF World Outdoor Championships, the 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships as well as the 2012 London Olympics for Puerto Rico in the steeplechase. Ramos won two gold medals and a bronze medal at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games setting meet records in the 5,000 meters and steeplechase. She is the Puerto Rican national record holder at every event from 1500m to 10,000m.

Smith has also served as an instructor for the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) specialist certification and USA Track & Field (USATF) Level II coaching education program in the endurance events.

Prior to joining the Wildcats staff in 1994, Smith spent two years coaching at Skyline High School in California and one season at the William Penn Charter High School in Philadelphia.

A native of Ridgefield, Conn., Smith graduated from Bucknell University in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in animal behavior. He earned a master’s degree in geography from the State University of New York at Albany in 1989, and a master’s degree in Kinesiology from Kansas State in 1996.

“Geography played a role in getting me here,” said Smith. “My wife and I are both from this part of the world and the opportunity to be close to family was very appealing. I grew up 50 miles from here in Ridgefield, Conn., my parents still live in the house where I grew up. My wife is from Indiana, Pa., where both of her parents still reside. We are both graduates of Bucknell University and identify with the type of student athletes that are in the Patriot League. This was a perfect storm of sorts. The combination of geography and the powerful allure of working at one of the most prestigious institutions in the world were too much to pass up. I am lucky to be coming to the United States Military Academy at West Point.

“I will miss the people that I have come to know in Manhattan. It is a special place and I would be remiss if I did not thank Cliff Rovelto, Athletic Director John Currie, Senior Woman Administrator Jill Shields, all the people that have guided and influenced me and most of all, the student-athletes, past and present, who have defined so much of my experience at K-state. I would not be where I am today without the help of so many people who have shaped and mentored me.

“I am eager to get to work. I have heard the expectations, I understand the mission and I acknowledge my responsibility to get it done.”

Smith and his wife, Jill, have three children, Sydney, Aidan and Jackson.

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