Nancy Smith guided Northville girls to state title in 2013
An area coach with a strong record of success has been tapped to lead the revival of cross country at Schoolcraft College.
Nancy Smith, who led the Northville High School girls’ cross country team to a state title in 2013, is the new men’s and women’s cross country coach as the Ocelots resume their programs after a brief hiatus.
“Coach Smith’s passion, experience, success and her deep-rooted connections within the Northville and area cross country communities make her the perfect choice to restart our cross country program,” said Cali Crawford, Director of Athletics.
“I am super-excited to get going and bring in student-athletes interested in joining the program and build a program that is well-known and respected across Michigan and throughout the United States.”
Nancy Smith, Schoolcraft College cross country coach
Smith’s 30-year coaching career, the last 20 of which has been at Northville, includes:
- 10 Kensington Lakes Activities Association (KLAA) titles
- 9 regional titles
- 12 top 10 finishes at state over the last 13 years
- 1 state championship in 2013
Several of the school districts that Schoolcraft College serves, including Northville, Plymouth-Canton and Livonia, as well as the other KLAA schools, traditionally have outstanding cross country programs. That means Smith won’t have to go far to find prospective student-athletes for her teams.
“Without a doubt, Schoolcraft College sits in a hotbed of talented runners, so the immediate area will be my first focus of recruiting student-athletes, along with Livingston, Washtenaw and Oakland counties as well as Detroit Public Schools,” Smith said.
“My first plan of action is to reach out to any current graduates in the surrounding areas and try and find student-athletes who are interested in continuing their running. I will also start reaching out to local juniors and show them all the great facilities and programs that are available to them. I will use social media and reach out to my fellow coaching friends to spread the news of the return of the program, which will also be a big benefit at recruiting potential student-athletes.”
Smith will have to hit the ground running, so to speak, as the season starts the first week of August. Competing in invitationals, rather than dual meets, will be the focus for this season. The Ocelots’ home course likely will be Cass Benton Park, which also is the home course of several area high schools.
“I am super-excited to get going and bring in student-athletes interested in joining the program and build a program that is well-known and respected across Michigan and throughout the United States,” Smith said.
Prospective student-athletes interested in joining a team should visit the links below:
- Interested in joining the women’s cross country team
- Interested in joining the men’s cross country team