Athletics

Brandywine welcomes new cross country head coach

Cory Smith has been appointed as the new head coach of both the men’s and women’s cross country teams at Penn State Brandywine. He will take over for Kevin Kelly, who served as head coach for the past four years.

"I'm extremely excited to join the Penn State network at Brandywine,” Smith said. “There's a tremendous opportunity here to build and grow a young program."

Smith first entered the national running scene in high school, where he qualified for the National Cross Country Championships and earned a spot as one of the top 25 cross country runners in the United States. As a member of the track and field team, Smith held three Maryland state records and finished his high school career with the sixth fastest 2-mile time in the U.S.

A graduate of Villanova University, Smith was consistently a top performer during his collegiate career. He earned multiple spots in regional championships, including two spots at the Division I National Championships. He also won multiple honors in both cross country and track and field, including the Big East. His impressive best times include a 3:45 in the 1500-meter, a 14:13 in the 5,000-meter and a 4:03 mile.

Smith, a USA Track & Field certified coach, started guiding athletes in 2009 when he co-founded Villanova Elite, a running club providing support to post-collegiate distance runners. As club founder, he helped guide several athletes to multiple personal bests. He also is the founder and head coach of Run Your Personal Best, which provides personal coaching services to all levels of aspiring runners. 

Smith holds a degree in finance from Villanova University and joins Penn State Brandywine after an 11-year career in the information technology industry. He currently resides in Philadelphia. 

Cory Smith, founder of Run Your Personal Best, joins Penn State Brandywine as the new head coach of both the men's and women's cross country teams. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated July 29, 2014

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