Caryl Smith-Gilbert
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Georgia |
| Conference | SEC |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | April 19, 1969 Denver, Colorado |
| Alma mater | UCLA |
| Playing career | |
| 1987–1991 | UCLA |
| Position(s) | 100 m, 200 m |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1994-1997 | George Washington High School |
| 1998-1999 | Penn State (asst) |
| 2000-2002 | Alabama (asst) |
| 2003-2007 | Tennessee (asst) |
| 2008-2013 | UCF |
| 2014-2021 | USC |
| 2022–present | Georgia |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
As a head coach:
| |
| Awards | |
| |
Caryl Smith-Gilbert (born April 19, 1969) is the current 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]
Early life
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]Smith-Gilbert is married to Greg Gilbert, a retired NFL linebacker, and the couple has three sons: Alex, Spencer and Osiris.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b "USC national champion head coach heads to Georgia". ESPN. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ Sugiura, Ken (June 14, 2021). "History, 'multiple championships' among mission for new UGA track coach". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
- ^ "Spikes: Don't Call Me Baby". World Athletics. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Caryl Smith Gilbert: Director of Track & Field, University of Southern California". Complete Track and field. August 21, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ "Caryl Smith Gilbert Wants USC to be the Best Running Program in History". Women's Running. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Dreesen, Liam W. (June 15, 2025). "Women's track and field wins first national championship". The Red & Black. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Solomon, Jerome (April 2, 2022). "Solomon: After win, Boling just getting started". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Women's 4 x 400 Metres Relay - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics". Watch Athletics. August 10, 2024. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Women's 4 x 400 Metres Relay - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics". Watch Athletics. August 10, 2024. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
- ^ "USTFCCCA Board of Directors". Women's Running. Retrieved June 15, 2025.