United States Military Academy Men's Track

Smith, who has coached two Olympians and an NCAA champion, has been a part of three Big 12 championship teams. He becomes the 11th coach in program history. "We are very excited to welcome Mike to the Army West Point family," said Corrigan. "Mike's profile stuck out from our remarkable pool of candidates and we all truly believe that he is the perfect person for the job. He has more than 20 years of experience with a great Kansas State program, and has a proven track record as a superior recruiter, coach and mentor. We can't wait to get him started as we usher in a new chapter for the cross country and track and field programs." Smith joined the coaching staff at Kansas State in 1994 and took over the reins of the cross country programs in 2004. In his nine years leading the men's and women's cross country teams, he has guided four individuals (2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012) and one team (2010 women) to the NCAA championships, including five consecutive trips to the NCAA Cross Country Championship from 2008-12 where K-State was represented on the women's side. When he took control of the cross country program in 2004, Smith guided Matthew Chesang to one of the most prolific seasons in Kansas State history. Chesang finished third at the Big 12 championships, second at the Midwest Regional Championships and earned All-America honors at the NCAA championships. His 12th-place finish was the highest NCAA finish for a Kansas State runner since 1971. In 2009, Smith coached Beverly Ramos to one of the best individual seasons in women's cross country recent history. In addition to earning All-America recognition, Ramos tallied two wins and placed sixth at the Pre-NCAA Invitational, the Big 12 Championship and the NCAA Midwest Regional. She also led the Wildcats to a sixth-place team finish at the 2008 Big 12 Championship and ninth at the Midwest Regional. As an assistant with the cross country programs, Smith helped Kansas State win the 1998 Big 12 title, earn three straight Midwest Regional titles and capture NCAA Championship finishes of 13th, 5th and 10th. In his 20 years with the Wildcats, Smith has coached athletes to 22 All-American awards, 16 conference championships, one NCAA title, two Olympic games and four International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) world championships. Sonia Gaskin has been the most recent athlete to excel under Smith's tutelage. Gaskin had a standout sophomore year that included first team All-American honors at the NCAA outdoor championships in the 800m (2:04.37) and 4x400m relay outdoors. She became the first Wildcat women's runner since Korene Hinds in 2001 to earn first team in the 800m outdoors. Smith also coached Christian Smith, a five-time All-American and 2006 NCAA Indoor Champion in the mile. A member of the 2008 United States Olympic team, Smith was third at the U.S. Olympic Trials with an 800m time of 1:45.47 and set a collegiate record in the 1000m (2:19.57) as well as school records in the 800m (1:44.86) and 1500m (3:38.10) outdoors. He was the Big 12 1000m indoor champion in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and the Big 12 800m outdoor champion in 2006. In addition to his coaching duties with the Wildcats, Smith has continued to coach Kansas State alumna Beverly Ramos. He helped her qualify for the past two IAAF World Outdoor Championships, the 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships as well as the 2012 London Olympics for Puerto Rico in the steeplechase. Ramos won two gold medals and a bronze medal at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games setting meet records in the 5,000 meters and steeplechase. She is the Puerto Rican national record holder at every event from 1500m to 10,000m. Smith has also served as an instructor for the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) specialist certification and USA Track & Field (USATF) Level II coaching education program in the endurance events. Prior to joining the Wildcats staff in 1994, Smith spent two years coaching at Skyline High School in California and one season at the William Penn Charter High School in Philadelphia. A native of Ridgefield, Conn., Smith graduated from Bucknell University in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in animal behavior. He earned a master's degree in geography from the State University of New York at Albany in 1989, and a master's degree in Kinesiology from Kansas State in 1996. Smith and his wife, Jill, have three children, Sydney, Aidan and Jackson. Mike Smith joins the Army West Point cross country and track & field programs after spending the past 20 years at Kansas State University.

Bancroft aided in weight room instruction as well as coaching of throws, jumps, sprints and distance groups. Bancroft was an integral member of the Texas A&M Track and Field Camp staff, serving as Camp Director for the past two years. Bancroft, who holds USTFCCCA Throws Specialist Certification, was a throws and sprints coach for the past four years. In addition to his camp duties, Bancroft played a major role in the administration of the 2004 NCAA Midwest Regional and the 2004 U.S. Junior Championships, both hosted by Texas A&M. The Aggies enjoyed unprecedented success during Bancroft's era, making history by becoming the first school to win dual national championship titles three consecutive years. A&M won both men's and women's NCAA outdoor track titles 2009-11, capped off with the men's program capturing the 2013 outdoor crown. Bancroft has also worked extensively with professional athletes. During the offseason, he assisted A&M staff members with the training programs of such professionals as world-record holder Aries Merritt and Olympic gold medalist Muna Lee. Prior to joining the A&M track staff, Bancroft was a systems analyst for the athletic department for four years. He holds a pair of engineering degrees from Texas A&M, earning a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1993 followed by a bachelor's degree in computer engineering in 1996. After working as an engineer and consultant, Bancroft joined the Texas A&M athletic department in November of 2001. As a student at A&M, Bancroft was a four-year member of Squadron 7 in the Corps of Cadets of the ROTC program and a Ross Volunteer. Athletically he competed in the decathlon for the Aggie track and field program in 1992 and 1993, and was also a member of the 12th Man football squad for a season. "Several years ago, friends on the A&M staff told me that if we ever had an opening, they had the perfect guy," said head coach Troy Engle of Bancroft. "Throughout the interview process, that became very clear to me; Brian Bancroft is an unbelievable fit for our program. He is a passionate coach, is as hard working as they come and understands how uniquely special our cadet-athletes are. As I asked around about the right person for our throws job, coaches from the Ivy League to the SEC, from Boston to the Bayou, all mentioned Brian's name. We are lucky and I am very excited about having him on the staff. He understands winning and moreover is committed to doing it the right way with the quality of cadet-athletes that we have on our team." Brian Bancroft comes to West Point from Texas A&M where he spent the past eight seasons as a team administrator. With the Aggies, the 1993 A&M graduate was responsible for a number of administrative duties, including scheduling, team travel, recruiting logistics and event management responsibilities. Additionally, from the 2005 through the 2008 season, Bancroft aided in weight room instruction as well as coaching of throws, jumps, sprints and distance groups. Bancroft was an integral member of the Texas A&M Track and Field Camp staff, serving as Camp Director for the past two years. Bancroft, who holds USTFCCCA Throws Specialist Certification, was a throws and sprints coach for the past four years. In addition to his camp duties, Bancroft played a major role in the administration of the 2004 NCAA Midwest Regional and the 2004 U.S. Junior Championships, both hosted by Texas A&M. The Aggies enjoyed unprecedented success during Bancroft's era, making history by becoming the first school to win dual national championship titles three consecutive years. A&M won both men's and women's NCAA outdoor track titles 2009-11, capped off with the men's program capturing the 2013 outdoor crown. Bancroft has also worked extensively with professional athletes. During the offseason, he assisted A&M staff members with the training programs of such professionals as world-record holder Aries Merritt and Olympic gold medalist Muna Lee. Prior to joining the A&M track staff, Bancroft was a systems analyst for the athletic department for four years. He holds a pair of engineering degrees from Texas A&M, earning a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1993 followed by a bachelor's degree in computer engineering in 1996. After working as an engineer and consultant, Bancroft joined the Texas A&M athletic department in November of 2001. As a student at A&M, Bancroft was a four-year member of Squadron 7 in the Corps of Cadets of the ROTC program and a Ross Volunteer. Athletically he competed in the decathlon for the Aggie track and field program in 1992 and 1993, and was also a member of the 12th Man football squad for a season. "Several years ago, friends on the A&M staff told me that if we ever had an opening, they had the perfect guy," said head coach Troy Engle of Bancroft. "Throughout the interview process, that became very clear to me; Brian Bancroft is an unbelievable fit for our program. He is a passionate coach, is as hard working as they come and understands how uniquely special our cadet-athletes are. As I asked around about the right person for our throws job, coaches from the Ivy League to the SEC, from Boston to the Bayou, all mentioned Brian's name. We are lucky and I am very excited about having him on the staff. He understands winning and moreover is committed to doing it the right way with the quality of cadet-athletes that we have on our team." Brian Bancroft comes to West Point from Texas A&M where he spent the past eight seasons as a team administrator. With the Aggies, the 1993 A&M graduate was responsible for a number of administrative duties, including scheduling, team travel, recruiting logistics and event management responsibilities. Additionally, from the 2005 through the 2008 season, Bancroft aided in weight room instruction as well as coaching of throws, jumps, sprints and distance groups. Bancroft was an integral member of the Texas A&M Track and Field Camp staff, serving as Camp Director for the past two years. Bancroft, who holds USTFCCCA Throws Specialist Certification, was a throws and sprints coach for the past four years. In addition to his camp duties, Bancroft played a major role in the administration of the 2004 NCAA Midwest Regional and the 2004 U.S. Junior Championships, both hosted by Texas A&M. The Aggies enjoyed unprecedented success during Bancroft's era, making history by becoming the first school to win dual national championship titles three consecutive years. A&M won both men's and women's NCAA outdoor track titles 2009-11, capped off with the men's program capturing the 2013 outdoor crown. Bancroft has also worked extensively with professional athletes. During the offseason, he assisted A&M staff members with the training programs of such professionals as world-record holder Aries Merritt and Olympic gold medalist Muna Lee. Prior to joining the A&M track staff, Bancroft was a systems analyst for the athletic department for four years. He holds a pair of engineering degrees from Texas A&M, earning a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1993 followed by a bachelor's degree in computer engineering in 1996. After working as an engineer and consultant, Bancroft joined the Texas A&M athletic department in November of 2001. As a student at A&M, Bancroft was a four-year member of Squadron 7 in the Corps of Cadets of the ROTC program and a Ross Volunteer. Athletically he competed in the decathlon for the Aggie track and field program in 1992 and 1993, and was also a member of the 12th Man football squad for a season. "Several years ago, friends on the A&M staff told me that if we ever had an opening, they had the perfect guy," said head coach Troy Engle of Bancroft. "Throughout the interview process, that became very clear to me; Brian Bancroft is an unbelievable fit for our program. He is a passionate coach, is as hard working as they come and understands how uniquely special our cadet-athletes are. As I asked around about the right person for our throws job, coaches from the Ivy League to the SEC, from Boston to the Bayou, all mentioned Brian's name. We are lucky and I am very excited about having him on the staff. He understands winning and moreover is committed to doing it the right way with the quality of cadet-athletes that we have on our team."