SALISBURY, Md. –
Kai Smith, from the Salisbury University track & field program, was named Coast-to-Coast 2026 Outdoor Male Athlete of the Year, and head coach
Jim Jones, along with his staff, was named C2C Men's Coaching Staff of the Year, announced today by the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference.
Smith, the Most Outstanding Men's Track Performer of the Championships and USTFCCCA Male Track Athlete of the Year, swept the 100 and 200-meter titles, setting a seasonal best and facility record of 20.42 in the latter.
Smith, the senior from Upper Marlboro, Md., first claimed the 200-meter title with a school record time of 20.42. This time went on to be the third fastest 200-meter time in NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship history. His Championship time of 20.42 also marks the fourth fastest time by any runner in Division III history at any meet.
Just 70 minutes later, Smith claimed the 100-meter National Title with another school record time of 10.14. This time was the second-fastest in the history of the Division III NCAA Outdoor Championships, just .01 off the record. It also ranks as the 5th-fastest time in NCAA Division III history by any runner at any meet.
This is the third year in a row that Smith has made it into the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships, and he will finish his stellar Sea Gull career as a two-time National Champion. He wraps up his senior campaign as a two-time Indoor All-American, Coast-to-Coast Indoor and Outdoor Male Athlete of the Year, led his team to a C2C Conference Championship, and now finishes as a two-time National Champion.
Jones, who is fresh off winning USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Men's Region Coach of the Year, led the Sea Gulls to an eighth-place team finish at the 2026 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships. Earlier in the season, Salisbury won the team title at the C2C Conference Outdoor Championships with 250 points, winning 11 events. Jones also earned the 2026 Indoor USTFCCCA Men's Region Coach of the Year this season. The Sea Gulls earned 18 total All-C2C honors at the conference meet and rounded out the year with 18 All-Region honors.
With the two National Championships from Smith, the Salisbury Track & Field program now has 20 individual National Titles, with the last coming from Salisbury's all-time great, Luke Campbell, 10 years ago in 2016. The men's track and field program also claimed the 2026 Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) Outdoor Championships for the 18th conference title in program history and the first since 2023.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have won a combined 23 team national championships, 26 individual national championships, and 211 conference championships, and have produced 54 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit
SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
