Eastern New Mexico University Athletics Director Dr. Greg Waggoner is pleased to announce the hiring of Joshua Smith as the Greyhounds new Head Women’s Soccer Coach. He becomes the sixth coach in program history and will begin his duties at ENMU on July 2.
“We are very pleased to announce Josh Smith as our new Head Women’s Soccer Coach. Josh rose to the top of a very competitive pool of applicants,” said Dr. Waggoner. “He has proven success as a head coach at two previous stops in the southwest. Beyond the success on the field his teams won prestigious academic awards and his programs were well rounded with robust rosters. We are confident that the future of our women’s soccer program is in good hands.”
Smith joins ENMU after spending the previous two seasons at the University of the Southwest in Hobbs, N.M. Smith amassed a 17-14-2 record in two seasons of leading the Mustangs. This past fall of 2017, he led the women’s team a stellar 13-3 record, which was the second-best record in program history. His squad was 8-3 in conference play which was the best mark in school history. For the season his team outscored opponents a combined 54-4 and finished the year just four points shy of a conference championship.
A big part of Smith’s success in 2017 came from his recruiting class, where he signed 34 athletes to rebuild Southwest’s program. The recruiting paid off on the field and off as well. His team finished the year with a cumulative GPA of 3.21.
“I am thrilled to be named the new Head Women’s Soccer Coach at ENMU. I would like to thank Dr. Waggoner, Dr. Elwell, the search committee, and coaching staff for providing me and my family such an amazing opportunity,” said Smith. “I truly believe ENMU is a great place with great leaders. I look forward to continuing to build on the foundation that has been laid and the tradition that has been established to see ENMU perennially compete in one of the strongest NCAA DII conferences in the nation. My family and I look forward to joining the Greyhound family.”
Prior to the University of the Southwest, Smith was at Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa. Smith went 36-5-2 during his two seasons and won a pair of Region 2 Tournament championships. The season prior to his arrival the team had won eight games the season before. After leading the team to a 19-3-1 record and a No. 15 ranking in the NJCAA in his first season, Smith guided the Mavericks to a 17-2-1 record in 2015, a No. 8 ranking in the NJCAA Division II polls and an Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season championship along with the Region 2 Tournament championship. Smith was also named the OCAC/Region 2 Coach of the Year in 2015.
During Smith’s time at NOC-Tonkawa, he had three players named to the NJCAA All-American Team, six players named First Team All-Region 2, seven players named First Team All-OCAC and four players earn NJCAA Player of the Week honors.
Smith’s team also showed great improvement in the classroom as NOC-Tonkawa’s grade point average went from 2.50 the year before Smith arrived to a 3.35 GPA in his last season. His teams were also active in fundraising, helping raise more than $30,000 for the program in less than two years.
Before leading NOC-Tonkawa, Smith was the head girls’ soccer coach at Crandall High School in Texas for two seasons. In his second season he improved the team from 11-10-2 to 17-5-2 and guided the 3A program to a third-place finish in a 4A district. He finished as runner-up district coach of the year both seasons and increased the participation in the program from 15 to 52 girls in two years – making it possible to develop a junior varsity program. He also served as the school’s head cross country coach for both the boys and girls.
During his time at Crandall High, he also was the goalkeeper coach for Cedar Valley College for the 2013 season.
Smith received his bachelor’s degree in Communications from Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania, in 2009 and his master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Mississippi in 2011.
