Florida Atlantic University Men's Cross Country

Smolka joined it as an assistant coach in February 1992. He took over as head cross-country coach in August 2001 and became the head coach of the entire program in July 2002. During the 2005-2006 academic year, indoor track & field was added as a women's intercollegiate sport at Florida Atlantic. While at Florida Atlantic, Smolka has mentored 71 All-Conference outdoor track athletes, 25 All-Conference indoor track athletes, nine cross country All-Conference runners, a outdoor track & field Outstanding Freshman, a indoor track & field Outstanding Freshman, and an Outstanding Indoor track & field athlete of the year. Smolka has also had 119 student-athletes make the conference All-Academic Team.In addition, all of the individual records for the programs have been set under his supervision. 38 individual Owls have qualified for the NCAA Track and Field Regionals under Smolka. One athlete has provisional qualified for the NCAA Indoor National Championships and the women's cross-country team has been ranked as high as 13th in the South Region. The Owls never placed lower than fourth at the Atlantic Sun Outdoor Track and Field Championships, finishing third four times. In the school's first season of indoor competition, Smolka's squad placed second at the A-Sun Indoor Track and Field Championships. Last year, in FAU's first year in the Sun Belt Conference, the women finished third at the cross country championships and eighth in both the indoor and outdoor track championships. Smolka grew up in Vienna, Austria, and London, England, and was a three-sport athlete (skiing, soccer and track) competing numerous times in the International School Sports' Tournament (ISST) in various European countries. He then served as the captain for the Hampshire College soccer team while training and competing with the University of Massachusetts track and field team, where he set personal bests in the 400m (48.36 sec.) and 800m (1:53.88). Following college, he competed in triathlons, twice becoming a USA National Team member for the Maccabbiah Games in Israel in 1993 and 2001. Smolka holds a bachelor's degree in history from Hampshire College (1988), a master's degree in sports and business management from Northeastern University (1992) and a master of arts degree in history from FAU (1996). He is a certified R.A.D (Rape, Aggression Defense) instructor, a certified professional rescuer / life guard, and a USATF Level I and II certified coach. Smolka resides in Boca Raton, FL, with his wife, Caroline, and their six children: Tevya, Avi, Michaela, Johanna, David and Jacob. 05/30/2012 05/26/2012 05/23/2012 05/14/2012 05/13/2012 05/12/2012 05/08/2012 04/30/2012 04/22/2012 04/18/2012

Rothman began as a volunteer assistant coach with the Florida Atlantic University men's and women's cross country and track teams in March 2014. He has coached for a total of 38 years with his teams winning 151 major championships, including Seven State Championships, and finishing runner-up in 45 other major championships. He has a compiled record of 7968-2183 for a 78.5% winning percentage-multi-team meet record and has 303 meet wins. His record includes seven state titles in girls cross country; two runner-ups in girls and boys cross country; 12 regional titles, and 25 district titles. His athletes have received more than 1000 post-season honors through the 2013 season. Rothman has been selected Coach of the Year 117 times, including State Girls Cross Country Coach of the Year in 1999, 2002, and 2003 along with the Florida Track and Field Hall of Fame State Girls Cross Country Coach of the year in 2009. He was a finalist for the NHSACA National Coach of the Year in 2006 and again, this year, in 2012, being named National Coach of the Year for girls cross country. Rothman served as the FACA State Cross Country chairman from 1997-2005. He is USA Track and Field level one, level two, and level three instructor certified, as well as a former National Track and Field official. He has also served as USA Track and Field Florida Association-South Vice President from 1998-2002, and was the head of Cross Country for USATF-Florida, and is currently the USATF-FL coaching education Chair. In November 2000, Rothman was named the U.S. men's team coach for the International Ekiden in Chiba, Japan. In 2014 he coached the USATF men's senior and junior cross country team competing at the NACAC meet in Tobago. He also was the head coach for the United States junior track and field teams for the 2009 and 2013 Maccabi Games in Israel. He was the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Chairman for cross country, and was inducted into the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame, the FACA Hall of Fame, the FHSAA and Florida Track and Field Hall of Fames. Rothman has an associate's degree from Miami-Dade Junior College and a bachelor's degree in Biology from Florida State University. He retired after 33 years of teaching and 38 years of coaching at the high school level.