Winthrop Names Spencer Smith Women's Soccer Coach
ROCK HILL, S.C. — Spencer Smith, the winningest coach in Radford men’s soccer history and a two-time Big South Conference Coach of the Year, has been named the Winthrop women’s soccer coach, it was announced Tuesday morning by Winthrop Athletic Director
Tom Hickman.
He replaces Melissa Heinz who served as head coach for the past seven years since the program was started in 2003.
Smith completed his 16th season at Radford in 2009 and has 21 years of college coaching experience that also includes two years at Lincoln Memorial University and three years at North Carolina Wesleyan. He compiled a 136-139-30 (.495) record at Radford to rank fourth on the Big South Conference all-time coaching list and third among active coaches. His 56 Big South Conference victories ranks him fourth on the all-time coaching list. The veteran coach owns a career record of 170-190-44 (.475). He was named Big South Coach of the Year in 1994 and 1998.
“We are very pleased that Spencer Smith will be our new women’s soccer coach,” said Hickman. “He has proven over his 21 years of coaching that he can produce winning programs and championship level teams in men’s soccer and we believe he can bring that same success to the Winthrop women’s program. He has a history of developing players on the field as demonstrated by the number of all-conference performers he has produced at Radford and he has a strong record of producing successful student-athletes in the classroom as well.”
Under Smith’s guidance, Radford won the 1998 Big South Conference regular season championship and made two appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 1999 and 2000. He has produced 30 All-Big South Conference performers and his 2007 and 2008 Highlander teams were presented the Team Academic Award by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. In 2008 Radford was one of only 35 NCAA Div. I programs to earn that recognition for having a team cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above.
A 1987 graduate of the University of Tennessee, Smith was a four-year starter for the Volunteers, and a captain as a junior and senior. Smith also earned most valuable player honors in 1986. Following college, his professional career took him to Sheffield, England and included training with Sheffield United F.C., as well as time with Stannington Village F.C.
A native of Baltimore, MD, Smith was head coach of the Virginia Olympic Development Program U-18 team from 1994-98. He was also the chairman of the NSCAA South Atlantic Regional Rankings Committee and a member of the NCAA Regional Selection Committee.
Smith and his wife Julie are the parents of three children – Alyssa, Landon and Merric.
SPENCER SMITH’S CAREER PATH 1988 Assistant coach Lincoln Memorial
1989-90 Head coach Lincoln Memorial
1991-93 Head coach North Carolina Wesleyan
1994-2009 Head coach Radford