John Smith named USTFCCCA Division I Midwest Region Indoor Women's Assistant Coach of the Year
03/06/2015 | 12:00:00 | Track and Field
By Tyler Wooten
SIUSalukis.com
NEW ORLEANS -- Saluki track and field throws coach John Smith has been named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division I Midwest Region Indoor Women's Assistant Coach of the Year, the USTFCCCA announced Friday.
Smith, an assistant coach at SIU under his wife and former pupil Connie Price-Smith since 2004-05, had a stellar season with his group of throwers. Smith's crew earned five individual qualifying spots for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships next week. Chief among them is freshman standout Raven Saunders, who broke the all-time SIU, MVC, MVC Championships and American Junior (Under-19) records this season under Smith's tutelage -- en route to the No. 2 mark in the NCAA this season at 17.99m (59-00.25).
Combined, Smith's throwers scored an absurd 91 points at the MVC Indoor Championships last week, where SIU swept the men's and women's shot put and men's and women's weight throw titles. Smith, a 1984 All-American shot putter himself, is in his 11th season as the throws coach at his alma mater. During his tenure, his throwers have won five NCAA titles, finished as an NCAA runner-up seven times, won 42 All-American honors and 58 MVC titles. This is Smith's fourth career Midwest Assistant Coach of the Year award while at SIU; he previously won in 2005, 2010 and 2011.
Smith's throwers will compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships next week on March 13-14, where Southern Illinois will have seven total student-athlete representatives.
Career Notes:
• Seven NCAA Champions
• Nine NCAA Runners-Up
• One NCAA Indoor National Athlete of the Year (Brittany Riley, 2007)
• 42 All-Americans at SIU, 19 All-Americans at Ohio State (61 total)
• 58 MVC champions, 20 Big Ten champions
• His throwers have broken 18 SIU records, 12 MVC records, five Big Ten records and one world record (weight throw, Brittany Riley, 83-10.50, 2007)
• Coached a throwing champion every year from 1987-2010 on the NCAA, USATF Senior, USATF Junior or high school level
• Coached 28 USA Indoor and Outdoor National Champions.
• His athletes have made Team USA in the Olympic Games, World Indoor and Outdoor Chanmpionships, Pan American Games, Pan American Junior Games, Goodwill Games, World Cup, Grand Prix Final, World University Games and the World Junior Games, with a total of 21 international medals.
• Four-time USTFCCCA Midwest Region Assistant Coach or Coach of the Year (2005, 2010, 2011, 2015) • All-American in the indoor shot put in 1984