University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Diavonte Smith voted MVC's Men's Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year
5/22/2023 6:03:00 PM | Track and Field
ST. LOUIS --- UNI assistant track and field coach Diavonte Smith has been selected as this year's Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Men's Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year, as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon.
Smith, who joined the Panther staff during the 2018-19 season with a coaching emphasis in sprinting and hurdle events, helped coach UNI to four MVC men's outdoor titles two weeks ago at the conference outdoor championships in Normal, Illinois, including the 100 and 200-meter dashes, as well as the 110-meter hurdles and 4x100-meter relay.
During the MVC Championships, sprinter Isaiah Trousil set a new meet record in the 100 meters, while the relay team of Tinashe Chigudu, Luke Meyers, Trousil and Deonte Dean also broke the conference championship meet record. In total, UNI athletes under Smith's coaching scored 62.5 combined points at the MVC Championships, helping the Panther men finish in second place, with the women taking fourth place.
Smith came to UNI after a year-long stint as a volunteer assistant at Texas Tech. The Red Raiders finished fifth in the 2018 Men's NCAA Outdoor Championship and sixth in the 2018 Men's NCAA Indoor Championship, where he coached 2018 NCAA 200m national champion Divine Oduduru. He also mentored six Big 12 champions and six NCAA West Regional qualifiers.
Prior to his time at Texas Tech, he worked as a volunteer assistant for Central Michigan, where he coached two athletes that earned All-MAC honors and set two school records.
As an athlete himself, Smith was a two-time All-MAC performer for Central Michigan, where he qualified for the 2013 NCAA East Regional in the long jump.
UNI track and field returns to competition beginning Wednesday afternoon at the NCAA West Regional at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California.
Smith, who joined the Panther staff during the 2018-19 season with a coaching emphasis in sprinting and hurdle events, helped coach UNI to four MVC men's outdoor titles two weeks ago at the conference outdoor championships in Normal, Illinois, including the 100 and 200-meter dashes, as well as the 110-meter hurdles and 4x100-meter relay.
During the MVC Championships, sprinter Isaiah Trousil set a new meet record in the 100 meters, while the relay team of Tinashe Chigudu, Luke Meyers, Trousil and Deonte Dean also broke the conference championship meet record. In total, UNI athletes under Smith's coaching scored 62.5 combined points at the MVC Championships, helping the Panther men finish in second place, with the women taking fourth place.
Smith came to UNI after a year-long stint as a volunteer assistant at Texas Tech. The Red Raiders finished fifth in the 2018 Men's NCAA Outdoor Championship and sixth in the 2018 Men's NCAA Indoor Championship, where he coached 2018 NCAA 200m national champion Divine Oduduru. He also mentored six Big 12 champions and six NCAA West Regional qualifiers.
Prior to his time at Texas Tech, he worked as a volunteer assistant for Central Michigan, where he coached two athletes that earned All-MAC honors and set two school records.
As an athlete himself, Smith was a two-time All-MAC performer for Central Michigan, where he qualified for the 2013 NCAA East Regional in the long jump.
UNI track and field returns to competition beginning Wednesday afternoon at the NCAA West Regional at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California.
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