COMMERCE – Ross Smithey was named the new head coach of A&M-Commerce Cross Country and Track & Field on Tuesday, August 11 after two seasons as an assistant with the Lions.
 
Smithey, entering his third season as a Lion, has been immensely successful. He has produced over a dozen All-Americans in pole vault, javelin, decathlon, 4x400m relay, heptathlon, triple jump, shot put, and 400m. Matt Rich, Masoud Moghaddam, Hendrik Nungess, and Ashley Bassett broke school and conference records in the 2014-15 campaign, and the Lions won both the Indoor and Outdoor 2015 LSC Track & Field Championships. The Lions closed out the year with appearances at both the Indoor & Outdoor 2015 NCAA Championships, where they finished twelfth and eighth, respectively. Due to his contributions Smithey was named USTFCCCA Men's Assistant Coach of the Year.
 
Athletic Director Ryan Ivey was ecstatic about the new hire. "We are very excited to name Coach Smithey head coach of our A&M-Commerce Track Program," said Ivey. "He's proven himself during his tenure as an assistant. We expect to see continued success of the track program under Coach Smithey."
 
Smithey is incredibly thankful for the opportunity afforded him by Ivey and A&M-Commerce President Dr. Dan Jones. "I'd like to thank Ryan Ivey and Dr. Dan Jones for their support," said Smithey. "Of all the places that I've been, this is definitely the place that I've enjoyed the most. They've given us every opportunity to be successful."
 
Fans can follow all the action from the 2015-16 season on www.LionAthletics.com, through twitter @Lion_Athletics and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LionsAthletics.