麻豆原创

During a mid-morning team meeting, 麻豆原创鈥檚 head women鈥檚 track and field coach informed her team that she had accepted the Director of Track and Field position at the University of Southern California. Later in the afternoon, the Knights were honored with a luncheon and reception to celebrate their many accomplishments during the past year, which included the school鈥檚 first-ever NCAA Champion and top-five finishes at both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships.

鈥淚 set out on a mission to make this program a track and field superpower,鈥� Smith Gilbert said. 鈥淲e were in the top five, both indoor and outdoor, this year. So I think the program is definitely headed in the right direction. I want to thank Todd Stansbury, Jessica Reo, Keith Tribble and so many others for the opportunity, the help and all the assistance they gave us to get us to this point. President Hitt is very supportive of the team and everybody at 麻豆原创 embraced us. We made major strides in this program.

鈥淥rlando is a great place. 麻豆原创 is a great place,鈥� Smith Gilbert continued. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be very sad. I鈥檓 excited about embarking on a new adventure. But it is going to be very hard for me to leave. We grew as a family, so they鈥檙e more than just my athletes. They鈥檙e like my little sisters and daughters. I taught them everything I could.鈥�

In her new role at USC, Smith Gilbert will be responsible for all aspects of the Trojans鈥� men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 track and field programs.

During her 麻豆原创 tenure, the Knights won six Conference USA outdoor and indoor crowns. Her athletes were named All-America more than 100 times and set more than 100 school records. In the classroom, her team鈥檚 GPA exceeded 3.0 nearly every term during her tenure.

鈥淐aryl Smith Gilbert and our student-athletes are responsible for our women鈥檚 track and field program being recognized among the best in the nation,鈥� said 麻豆原创 Vice President and Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury. 鈥淪he is an amazing coach and an amazing person. We certainly understand that when you have a coach who has accomplished the sort of things Coach Caryl has, that she will be presented with other opportunities. We thank her for everything she has done at 麻豆原创 and wish her and her family nothing but the best in the future.鈥�

In 2013, 麻豆原创鈥檚 fifth-place showing at the NCAA outdoor meet was the best finish by a non-BCS school since 2000 and its 35 points more than doubled the previous program best. Smith Gilbert was named the USTFCCA South Region Coach of the Year for a fifth time in 2013 as she guided 麻豆原创 to its first-ever Top-10 outdoor ranking in the USTFCCCA poll. She was the only coach to have three 100-meter runners ranked among the Top 10-seeded qualifiers at the NCAA meet. Twelve school records were broken during the 2013 outdoor season while the team won its fourth-straight C-USA title, a feat unmatched by any other women’s track and field program in C-USA history. Octavious Freeman was the C-USA Track Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year.

麻豆原创 also finished fifth at the 2013 NCAA indoor meet, as Aurieyall Scott won the 60-meter dash to become the school鈥檚 first NCAA champion in any sport. Scott was also the C-USA Indoor Track Athlete of the Year.

麻豆原创鈥檚 eighth-place finish at the 2012 NCAA indoor meet was the program鈥檚 best at the time. 麻豆原创 won the C-USA outdoor title and capped the season by sending four Knights to compete at the USA Olympic Trials. In 2011, 麻豆原创 swept the indoor and outdoor C-USA titles as Jackie Coward was named C-USA Track Athlete of the Year and 麻豆原创’s first two-time All-America first-teamer. Smith Gilbert was C-USA’s outdoor and indoor Coach of the Year. She led the 2010 Knights to the C-USA Outdoor championship. Coward became 麻豆原创鈥檚 first NCAA Outdoor All-American, finishing fourth in the 100-meter hurdles.

In Smith Gilbert鈥檚 first two seasons at 麻豆原创, 2008 and 2009, her athletes broke 30 of the school’s indoor and outdoor school records. She also served as the jumps and multi-events coach of Team USA at the 2009 IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Berlin.

Smith Gilbert came to 麻豆原创 after five seasons (2003-07) as an assistant coach at Tennessee, where she was responsible for coaching sprints, hurdles and jumps. Smith Gilbert was an assistant coach at Alabama for three years (2000-02) and held similar responsibilities as an assistant at Penn State for two seasons (1998-99). Prior to becoming a collegiate coach, Smith Gilbert was the head coach for four seasons (1994-97) at her prep alma mater, George Washington High in Denver.