Caryl Smith-Gilbert

Last updated

Caryl Smith-Gilbert
Current position
Title Head coach
Team Georgia
Conference SEC
Biographical details
Born (1969-04-19) April 19, 1969 (age 56)
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Playing career
1987–1991 UCLA
Position(s) 100 m, 200 m
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1994–1997 George Washington HS (CO)
1998–1999 Penn State (assistant)
2000–2002 Alabama (assistant)
2003–2007 Tennessee (assistant)
2008–2013 UCF
2014–2021 USC
2022–present Georgia
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
As a head coach:

As an athlete:

Awards
  • 2 USTFCCCA Outdoor Coach of the Year (2018,2021)
  • 1 SEC Women’s Coach of the Year (2025)
  • 6 Conference USA Coach of the Year

Caryl Smith-Gilbert (born April 19, 1969) is American track and field coach and former athlete. She is the director of men's and women's track and field at the University of Georgia. [1] She was hired in 2021. [2] She coaches both the women's and men's Georgia track teams and is the first female head coach of a Georgia men's team. [3] [4]

Contents

Early life

As a 12-year old, Smith-Gilbert ran the 100 meter dash in 11.78 seconds. She was a silver medalist in the 100 meter dash at the World Junior Championships in 1986. [5]

During her high school career, Smith-Gilbert set indoor national records in the 55- and 60-meter dashes and was a two-time Colorado state champion in both the 200-meter dash and the long jump as well as a three-time 100-meter dash state champion. She also set the Colorado state high school records in all three of those events. [6]

At UCLA, Smith-Gilbert was a three-time All-American at UCLA (4×100-meter relay in 1988 and 1989), and won individual and relay Pac-10 championships in the 100-meter dash, 4×100-meter relay and the 4×400 meter relay. As a member of the 4x400 meter relay, her team finished as an NCAA Championship runner-up in 1988 and 1989. [6]

Smith Gilbert earned a bachelor’s degree in film and television production from UCLA in 1991 and a master’s degrees in sport management and sport psychology from the University of Tennessee. [6]

Coaching career

Smith-Gilbert coached the USC Women's Track & Field team to two NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship titles in 2018 and 2021 and the UGA Women's Track & Field team to the 2025 NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship title. [3] [7] [8] [9]

Athletes coached by Smith-Gilbert include Anglerne Annelus, [10] Matthew Boling, [11] Afia Charles, Sole Frederick, [12] Sanaa Frederick, [12] Christopher Morales Williams, [13] as well as Olympic Gold Medalists Rai Benjamin, Aaliyah Butler, Michael Norman and DeeDee Trotter. [6] [14]

Smith-Gilbert was named the SEC Women’s Coach of the Year in 2025 [15] and became the first coach to win the women’s NCAA outdoor title at two different schools with the 2025 UGA championship. [16]

Smith-Gilbert is currently the President of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Board of Directors with a term that ends on December 20th, 2025. [17]

Personal life

Smith-Gilbert is married to Greg Gilbert, a retired NFL linebacker, and the couple has three sons: Alex, Spencer and Osiris. [6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Smith, Loran (July 11, 2024). "'We love the 'Dogs.' Georgia track coach Caryl Smith-Gilbert feels right at home in Athens". Athens Banner-Herald . Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Georgia hires national title-winning track coach Caryl Smith Gilbert, first woman to coach Bulldogs men". ESPN . Associated Press. June 13, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "USC national champion head coach heads to Georgia". ESPN. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  4. ↑ Sugiura, Ken (June 14, 2021). "History, 'multiple championships' among mission for new UGA track coach". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Spikes: Don't Call Me Baby". World Athletics. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Caryl Smith Gilbert: Director of Track & Field, University of Southern California". Complete Track and field. August 21, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Caryl Smith Gilbert Wants USC to be the Best Running Program in History". Women's Running. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  8. ↑ Riley, Connor (June 15, 2025). "Georgia women's track and field wins first outdoor national championship in dominant fashion". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: DawgNation . Retrieved June 15, 2025.
  9. ↑ Dreesen, Liam W. (June 15, 2025). "Women's track and field wins first national championship". The Red & Black . Retrieved June 15, 2025.
  10. ↑ Blake Ricardson (June 4, 2019). "USC's Angie Annelus is determined to lead the Trojans to another track title". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  11. ↑ Solomon, Jerome (April 2, 2022). "Solomon: After win, Boling just getting started". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  12. 1 2 Toure, Poline (March 26, 2025). "Georgia track and field twin sisters Sole and Sanaa Frederick gearing up for more success". The Red & Black . Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  13. ↑ Towers, Chip (March 1, 2024). "Georgia's Christopher Morales Williams: from obscurity to world's fastest: UGA sophomore establishes world-best time in 400 meters". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Women's 4 x 400 Metres Relay - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics". Watch Athletics. August 10, 2024. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  15. ↑ Dreesen, Liam W. (June 10, 2025). "Georgia's Caryl Smith Gilbert named SEC Women's Coach of the Year as Bulldogs shine in track and field honors". The Red & Black . Retrieved June 15, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Women's 4 x 400 Metres Relay - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics". Watch Athletics. August 10, 2024. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  17. ↑ "USTFCCCA Board of Directors". Women's Running. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.