Oklahoma State University Athletics
Head Coach Dave Smith
February 27, 2009 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track
Quickly establishing himself as one of the nation's top cross country coaches, Dave Smith is in his third season as the head coach of the Oklahoma State cross country team after serving as an assistant coach under Dick Weis since 2002. He moves into the role of head track and field coach for the 2009 season.
The reigning Midwest Region Coach of the Year, Smith guided the Cowboys to one of the finest seasons in school history in 2007 as the Pokes placed third in the team standings at the NCAA Cross Country Championships behind All-America performances from Ryan Vail and David Chirchir. In addition, Smith coached the Cowboys to their third straight NCAA Midwest Regional title.
In addition to All-Americans Vail and Chirchir, Smith's 2007 cross country squad featured all-region performers Matt Barnes-Smith, Sean Fleming, David Jankowski and Daniel Watts, with Vail, Chirchir, Fleming, Jankowski and Barnes-Smith earning all-Big 12 honors as well.
The Cowboys also succeeded in the classroom under Smith in 2007-08, as Vail was a first-team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American and was joined on the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's All-Academic team by Jankowski during the cross country season and by Jankowski, Barnes-Smith and Terry Josserand during the track and field season. As a team, OSU sported a combined grade point average above 3.0 to earn USTFCCCA All-Academic team honors in both cross country and track and field.
The 2008 track season was highlighted by Smith coaching Vail to a Big 12 indoor title in the 3,000 meters and by Vail following that up with All-America honors in the outdoor 5,000 meters with a fifth place finish at the NCAA Championships.
In his first season, Smith led the Pokes to the 2006 Midwest Regional championship, as OSU finished 16 points ahead of the second-place Kansas and 49 points ahead of third-place Iowa. Smith coached both Joe Gray (sixth place, 30:56.74) and David Jankowski (seventh place, 30:57.49) to top-10 finishes at the event, with Daniel Watts and Brian Ehlis both placing in the top 20.
Smith's Cowboys followed their Midwest Regional title up with a 10th-place finish at the 2006 NCAA Championships, with Gray leading the way with a 32nd-place finish at the event.
The success enjoyed by the Cowboys in 2006 also extended to the classroom, where the Pokes posted a team GPA of 3.442 and 22 of the 25 runners on the track and cross country roster finished the semester with a 3.00 grade point average or better. Eight Cowboys made Dean's Honor Roll (3.5-3.9 GPA) and three Cowboys made President's Honor Roll. Joseph Gray and Michael Breshears each finished with a 4.00 GPA, however they are not candidates for President's Honor Roll because they were in Graduate School at the time.
Smith coached Daniel Watts to Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors in 2006, making him the first Cowboy ever to win the award.
Smith came to Stillwater from Texas Tech, where he was the head men's and women's cross country coach, as well as assistant track coach from 1998-2002. Prior to his stint at Tech, Smith was a volunteer assistant coach for the University of Washington track and cross country programs from 1997-1998. He was also the head coach of Club Northwest women's cross country and track those same years. Athletes that Smith has coached have won two NCAA Championships, 14 All-American awards, 12 Big 12 Championships, and a World University Games gold medal.
While competing collegiately at Michigan State, Smith was the Big Ten Conference champion in the 10,000m in 1993 and placed second in the 1,500m that season. He earned All-Big Ten honors four times in cross country and track during his career. Was also an 11-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and three-time Academic All-America selection. Smith also won the Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor in 1993.
Smith graduated from Michigan State in 1993 with a degree in fisheries and wildlife, and continued his education at the University of Washington, where he earned a Ph.D. in pharmacology in 2000.
