Head Men's and Women's Cross Country and Track &
Field Coach Francie Larrieu Smith
Five-time Olympian Francie Larrieu Smith is in her twelfth season
as the Head Men and Women's Cross Country and Track and Field Coach
at Southwestern University. Her excellence as a world-renown
distance runner is well documented. She, and Southwestern, are
dedicated to achieving that same level of excellence in our cross
country and track and field programs.
Most recently Coach Smith served as USA Track & Field's Junior Women's Team Leader at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Amman, Jordan. The US junior women placed fifth in these World Championships.
During her tenure at Southwestern University Coach Smith has taken two athletes (one male, one female) to the NCAA Cross Country Championships. She has coached athletes to South/Southeast Region honors 17 times and All-SCAC (Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference) honors 15 times. In Track and Field she has coached two athletes and three relay teams to SCAC Championship titles and 23 athletes to All-SCAC honors. Additionally, one athlete earned SCAC Athlete-of-the-Meet (high point scorer) during the 2008 track & field season having won 3 individual events and was a member of two winning relay teams.
As an athlete, Smith had her best Olympic finish in 1988 with a fifth place finish in the 10,000 meters at Seoul, South Korea. As a crowning achievement, she was the flag bearer for the U.S. Olympic Team in Barcelona, Spain (1992).
During the course of her 30-year career, Smith established 36 U.S. records and 12 world bests in distances ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 meters. She was selected by Runner's World magazine as "The Most Versatile Runner of the Quarter Century." Coach Smith is a member of several halls of fame including The Texas Women's Hall of Fame, The National Track and Field Hall of Fame, and the Long Distance Running Hall of Fame.
Smith earned a M.Ed. in Sport Administration from The University of Texas at Austin in December 2000. She earned Level I coaching certification and Level II certifications with specializations in endurance and sprints, hurdles and relays from the USA Track and Field Coaching Certification program.
Coach Francie Larrieu Smith's Personal Records
| Track: | Road: | ||||||||
| 800 meters | 2:00.02 | 1500 meters | 4:05.1 | Mile | 4:27.5 | 5K | 15:05.1 | 10K | 31:49 |
| 3000 meters | 8:50.4 | 5000 meters | 15:15.2 | 10000 meters | 31:28.92 | 15K | 48:43 | Marathon | 2:27:35 |
| Year | Men's Cross Country | Women's Cross Country | Men's Track & Field | Women's Track & Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | SCAC 7th - South/Southeast Region 14th | SCAC 6th | 9th place | 5th place |
| 2000 | SCAC 5th | SCAC 6th | 9th place | 7th place |
| 2001 | SCAC 7th - South/Southeast Region 15th | SCAC 6th - South/Southeast Region 13th | 9th place | 9th place |
| 2002 | SCAC 9th - South/Southeast Region 18th | SCAC 9th - South/Southeast Region 18th | 8th place | 7th place |
| 2003 | SCAC 6th - South/Southeast Region 13th | SCAC 7th - South/Southeast Region 14th | 8th place | 8th place |
| 2004 | SCAC 5th - South/Southeast Region 10th | SCAC 5th - South/Southeast Region 7th | 7th place | 9th place |
| 2005 | SCAC 5th - South/Southeast Region 10th | SCAC 4th - South/Southeast Region 9th | 8th place | 9th place |
| 2006 | SCAC 7th - South/Southeast Region 12th | SCAC 6th - South/Southeast Region 11th | 9th place | 9th place |
| 2007 | SCAC 7th - South/Southeast Region 15th | SCAC 5th - South/Southeast Region 11th | 5th place | 9th place |
| 2008 | SCAC 5th - South/Southeast Region 15th | SCAC 5th - South/Southeast Region 15th | 5th place | 9th place |
| 2009 | SCAC 6th - South/Southeast Region 10th | SCAC 8th - South/Southeast Region 21st | 8th place | 7th place |
| 2010 | 9th place | 9th place |
Robin Becker enters her second season at Southwestern University
as the assistant Softball and Cross Country Coach.
Becker is a 2008 graduate of St. Edward's University and pitched
for the Hilltoppers. In a remarkable senior season at SEU, Becker
pitched the Hilltoppers to a third place finish in the NCAA DII
World Series. She was an All-Conference and All-Region performer
for her efforts on the mound.
Becker also serves as a Resident Associate in the Resident Life
Department and teaches racquetball in the fall.
