A former two-time All-South Atlantic Conference selection at Catawba, Tanner Smith enters his second season as an assistant coach in 2026-27.
Smith helped lead the men's cross country program to its fourth-straight Conference Carolinas championship in 2025. Ed Carney was named Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year and Runner of the Year after winning the individual title at the Conference Carolinas championships. The men's squad would send five runners to the All-Conference team, while the women's team had two runners pick up All-Conference honors.
Prior to joining the UNC Pembroke staff, Smith was the assistant cross country and track & field coach at Mooresville High School.
Smith was lauded with men's cross country All-Conference honors in both 2022 and 2023, while also earning a berth in the 2023 NCAA Cross Country Championships, and was also named to the 2023 USTFCCCA All-Region team. Smith also was a part of Catawba's 2023 conference-champion DMR team.
Smith graduated from Catawba in 2025 with a degree in communications and a minor in athletic coaching, and is currently pursuing a master's degree in sports administration from UNC Pembroke.
Updated: August 2026
