Sarah Smith Carlson commences her sixth season at the helm of the men’s and women’s cross country teams with her team set to resume action in fall 2021.
Smith Carlson was named head coach of both programs in April of 2016. A NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) certified personal trainer, NASE (National Association of Speed and Explosion) Speed Specialist, group exercise instructor, Insanity Live Instructor and certified RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) Instructor, Smith Carlson also serves as Director of the Winston Ely Health & Wellness Center at UVA Wise.
Due to COVID-19, the men’s and women’s cross country program did not participate in competition during the 2020-21 season.
During the 2019 campaign, women's cross country began the season with seventh-place and fifth-place finishes at the Berea College Jamboree and Zaxby's Open, respectively. The men's cross country team also notched two top-10 finishes, coming in seventh-place at the Berea College Jamboree and Zaxby's Open.
In her first season as head coach of the two teams, Smith Carlson led the men’s program to a fifth-place finish at the 2016 Mountain East Conference Championship meet. She guided two of her senior men’s runners to top-25 finishes at the conference race as Shaquon Wilkins claimed All-MEC Second Team honors with a 19th-place finish and William Young placed 25th.
An avid runner herself, Smith Carlson owns over 10 years of running experience and has won several local races. Racing competitively for five years before taking over the men’s and women’s cross country programs, Smith Carlson is a sub-four hour marathoner and can run a half marathon in just over an hour and a half.
Smith Carlson is a 2011 graduate of UVA Wise and was a letter winner in softball for two years. She obtained her master’s degree in exercise science with a concentration in fitness and wellness from California University of Pennsylvania. A native of Norton, Virginia, Sarah resides in nearby Big Stone Gap, Virginia with her husband, Pete Carlson, and their son, Cooper.
