AZUSA, Calif. - Sean Smith has been named the head coach of Azusa Pacific cross country, athletic director Gary Pine announced today.

"Sean is going to be a great fit here at Azusa Pacific," said Pine, "He is a relational coach who motivates his athletes through encouragement and engagement, and our runners will respond very well to his teaching and training. I am impressed with his energy and passion for distance running and track & field, and I think that when you combine that with the accomplishments of his career thus far, he will be able to recruit many great student-athletes and continue to grow this outstanding program that we have."

Additionally, Smith will serve as an assistant coach for Cougar track & field. "We are thrilled to have a coach with so much energy, passion, and knowledge of racing and training techniques join our staff," said Azusa Pacific track & field head coach Jack Hoyt, "Sean comes highly recommended and deservingly so. He built a strong and cohesive PacWest distance program in no time at all at Notre Dame De Namur, and was mentored from a talented Chico State coaching tree under Gary Towne. I have no doubt that Sean will have our cross country team winning conference titles in the near future."

"I certainly feel that God has had his hand on me throughout my coaching career," said Smith, "The timing over the past couple of years that has led me here to Azusa Pacific seems to be another sign that he has a plan."
 

Most recently, Smith has served as the coach of four professional distance runners (Ayla Granados, Jenna Hinkle, Hannah Dorman, and Natalie Rodriguez) who run for the Hoka Aggies. All four women competed in the USA Track & Field Championships in 2019 in events ranging from the 1500m to the 10,000m and are currently training to qualify for the Olympic Trials this summer.
 

Smith is no stranger to the PacWest Conference or Azusa Pacific, as his last position in collegiate coaching was at former conference foe Notre Dame de Namur, where he spent two seasons (2018-2019) as the head coach of cross country and an assistant track & field coach. "Coming from one of the schools in the PacWest, Azusa Pacific was always the one school I looked at in awe," said Smith, "From their amazing coaches, to facilities and beautiful campus all the way to the moral compass at which they approach education. I am so grateful and excited for this opportunity. I want to thank Jack Hoyt and Gary Pine, as I know they were meticulous and patient in the search process. I am excited to work with and learn from Jack and the rest of the Cougar staff."
 

In his first season with NDNU, Smith led the Argonauts to a third place finish on the men's side at the cross country conference meet, the highest in program history, and also coached two conference champions that year on the track. One of those conference champions was Jason Gomez, who went on to win the USA U20 1500m title and represented the United States and NDNU at the Pan American Championships in Costa Rica (Summer 2019).The following season, he helped the men's cross country program elevate its performance to an even higher level, as the Argonauts finished second at the 2019 PacWest Cross Country Championships.
 

Prior to NDNU, Smith was the head cross country and track coach at Gillette College, a NJCAA DI Program in Gillette, Wyoming. At GCC, he was named the 2017 NJCAA National Championships Men's Coach of the Year after he led his team to a fourth place finish at Nationals.. On the women's side, the only two runners on the team placed 1st and 4th at the NJCAA Region IX Championships and qualified individually for the national meet. Following the 2017 Cross Country season, Gillette College had three qualifiers for the NJCAA DI Indoor National Championships, including Ayrton Ledesma, who Smith helped coach to a national title in the 3,000m and a runner up finish in the mile. Ledesma claimed a second national title in the outdoor season as well, finishing first in the 3,000m Steeplechase.
 

Prior to his coaching career, Smith was a standout cross country and track & field student-athlete at the University of St. Francis (Joliet, Ill.), and then Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill. At Lewis, he won back-to-back All-Great Lakes Valley Conference honors in both sports while helping lead the Flyers to the 2014 GLVC Indoor Track & Field Championship. He also excelled in the classroom, earning two United States Track & Field and Cross Country Association All-Academic awards, and was named to the National Honors Society and the 2014 CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District Men's Track & Field/Cross Country Team. At St. Francis, Smith was the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Cross Country Freshman of the Year in 2009, and then was named the CCAC Runner of the Year the following year, helping the Fighting Saints win their first-ever conference cross country title. On the track, Smith earned All-America honors in both the 5,000-meter run and the 4×800-meter relay.   

Smith, a native of Illinois, attended Winnebago High School in Winnebago, Ill., where he was the individual state champion in cross country and the 3,200-meter run while leading the Indians to the 2007 Illinois state team title.   

Smith received his master's degree in Kinesiology from Chico State with an emphasis in biomechanics and strength & conditioning in 2017. He received his bachelor's degree in mathematics from Lewis University in 2014.

Smith will be taking over the cross country and distance programs that were previously led by Preston Grey, who stepped down in November to pursue professional opportunities outside of coaching. "It is an honor to take over Preston's program," said Smith, "What he accomplished in his 17 years at Azusa Pacific was remarkable, and I could not be more grateful for the opportunity. I believe we have all of the tools necessary to be among the best programs in the conference, region, and in time, the nation."
 

While Smith eagerly awaits the start of the cross country season next fall, he will be preparing the Cougar distance runners for the upcoming 2021 outdoor season, which is set to begin in March.