ITHACA, N.Y. -- Artie Smith '96 has been a constant working with Cornell's powerhouse women's track and field and cross country teams and was recognized for his outstanding work by being promoted to Associate Head Coach it was announced today by Rich Bowman, The Alan B. '53 and Elizabeth Heekin Harris Women's Track & Field and Cross Country Coach.

"Artie Smith has been instrumental in all of the successes garnered by Cornell women's track and field and cross country over its great history," Bowman said. "As an NCAA Regional Coach of the Year in 2014, he was recognized by his peers for coaching excellence and it's fantastic for Cornell to promote him to Associate Head Coach."

During Smith's 15 seasons working with the Big Red, he has helped guide the women's cross country team to three NCAA appearances, worked with six individual qualifiers to the NCAA Cross Country Championships, helped guide four ECAC championship cross country teams, and overseen back-to-back Ivy League cross country championships in 2011 and 2012, as well as a runner-up squad in 2013. In addition, the women's track program has won 17 of the past 24 Heptagonal indoor and outdoor team titles, including the 2012 and 2013 outdoor team championships. Since 2004, eight Cornell female distance runners have competed at the NCAA indoor and outdoor finals on 12 different occasions.

Since taking over direction of the women's cross country program three years ago, Smith has shepherded a return to national prominence for the Big Red women's cross country and distance program. The 2012 cross country squad finished 13th at the NCAA Championships, the top non-scholarship program in the country, and the program's best finish at the NCAAs in 20 years. One of his runners, Rachel Sorna, placed 13th at the 2013 NCAA meet, the highest individual finish for a Big Red runner since 1992. Seven different distance women (tied for most in the nation) competed at the 2013 NCAA preliminary round in outdoor track with three moving on to the NCAA Finals. In the past two years alone, three Cornell distance women earned eight All-American honors and won six individual Heps titles, while school and freshman records were set in the 3K, 5K, 10K and 3K steeplechase.