Female directors of Power Five track and field programs to be showcased during two-day meet at USC

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Caryl Smith Gilbert has already made history on several occasions during her five years as USC director of track and field, earning coach of the year honors for both her men’s and women’s teams from the Pac-12 Conference, Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Now, Smith Gilbert wants to showcase several of her talented female coaching colleagues Friday and Saturday at the Power Five Trailblazer Challenge.

For the first time at an invitational meet, the five women directors of Power Five track and field programs — Connie Price-Smith at Ole Miss, Beth Alford-Sullivan at Tennessee, Karen Dennis at Ohio State, Amy Deem at Miami (Florida) and Smith Gilbert — will have their teams compete Saturday at USC’s Loker Stadium. Hammer and discus throw ompetitions are scheduled for Friday at Long Beach State.

“I have to give credit to my husband, but I’ll say it’s my idea,” Smith Gilbert said during a recent episode of Trojans Live.

“We wanted to bring all five of those phenomenal women here to Los Angeles and get them to compete. It’s going to be a really great meet. We’re going to wear pink jerseys. Every team has agreed to wear pink jerseys with their logo, even the men.”

In addition to their collegiate success, Dennis was the head women’s coach for the U.S. national team at the 2000 Olympics, with Deem holding the same position at the 2012 Olympics and Price-Smith leading the American women’s roster at the 2016 Olympics.

“We want to celebrate the women who are trailblazers,” Smith Gilbert said. “I think it’s very important to demonstrate to young men and young women what strong females can do.”

In addition to their annual Trojan Invitational, USC also hosted the Power Conference Cardinal and Gold Challenge in 2016, competing against Florida, Ohio State and Texas at Loker Stadium.

USC is coming off a second-place men’s finish and seventh-place women’s result March 9-10 at the NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas.