Westmont College Athletics

What the athletes say…

"There are many knowledgeable coaches, but what impresses me most is that Russell not only has this incredible knowledge and experience, but he also has the ability to relate to each individual team member on a personal level. He knows us as runners, but more importantly, he takes the time to get to know the true person inside."

"Russell has had a big impact on my life in college. He welcomed me to the Westmont community. He encourages his team to persevere in all aspects of life, and be the absolute best that they can be."

"Even when we weren’t performing at our best, Russell looked to our potential and knew we could do better."

In the 2023-24 school year, Smelley will guide the Warriors in their first year of competition at the NCAA Div. II level.

In 2023, Smelley's teams competed in their final NAIA National Championships, in their final season in the association. Between Indoor and Outdoor season, Smelley's Warriors earned their final 15 NAIA All-American honors, and two more individual NAIA National Championships. As a team, Westmont's men finished in eighth place in their final trip to Outdoor Nationals.

In 2022, Smelley's Westmont Men's and Women's Track and Field earned 18 All-American honors, while Men's and Women's Cross Country added in two more.

In 2021, Coach Russell Smelley led Westmont Men's Track & Field to their highest finish in program history, a fourth place finish at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships.

Freshman sensation Zola Sokhela won two individual National Championships (800 meter run, 1500 meter run) and Seth Wilmoth came away with the National Championship in the pole vault as well.

The Warrior's 4x800 meter relay team took second overall, and ran the fastest Westmont time in the event since 1987.

Because of these accomplishments, Smelley got to bring home a trophy for the first time in his 42 year career.

"When you have quality athletes who train diligently, believe in what they're doing, and have a goal of doing well, good things happen." summarized Smelley. 

Coach Russell Smelley has served as the head coach in cross country and track & field at Westmont since his arrival in 1979. His tenure has produced numerous NAIA All-Americans and NAIA All-American Scholar-Athletes in both cross country and track & field.

Smelley guided the women’s Cross Country team to national prominence and was named NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1995. His men’s and women’s cross country teams have won 16 conference titles. Smelley was inducted into the NAIA Cross Country Hall of Fame in November of 1999. Smelley has also served as the president of the NAIA Cross Country Coaches Association. He was honored with the NAIA Coach of Character Award in 2015.

Asked to describe himself as a coach, Smelley replied: "I remind myself to practice being a philosophically grounded, kinesiology-based coach so there are reason and facts to support my coaching decisions. I seek to be a teacher who can convey hope and concern for students who have chosen to be athletes. I want to influence each team member as an individual in all aspects of their lives, so I need to know each of them personally."

The Westmont track and field teams have enjoyed their own success, with at least one athlete claiming NAIA All-American honors in 32 of the last 35 years, including 27 of the past 28 years. The men’s team claimed seven consecutive GSAC Championships from 2013-19, while the women earned three straight conference titles from 2017-19.

“In their time at Westmont, I would like to see team members maturing in understanding themselves as an individual in community," Smelley said. "This requires personal vulnerability to be known and it is hard work. I hope to challenge them to be unique within their culture as noted by their faith and discipline and in their vulnerable affections, those things most important to their lives. It is important to me to provide guidance which equips them to be emotionally healthy and resilient individuals who can follow their dreams while dealing positively with the vicissitudes of life. Their athletic endeavors are practices in learning to be able to keep their promises, both to themselves and to others.”

Besides his coaching duties, Smelley is a tenured, full professor in the kinesiology department. His classroom work earned him the distinction of being named "Teacher of the Year" in 1988 and again in 2002. Coach Smelley carries that quality of teaching over to his work with the Westmont cross country and track & field teams. His coaching philosophy emphasizes developing the potential of each individual team member academically, athletically, and spiritually by challenging them to be learners and strivers.

"Ultimately, it is important to me to assist students in developing a healthy basis for their self-image," says Smelley. "I want them to have a personal confidence which enables them to be bold and determined to reach their potential in any life endeavor they choose. For me, this is development of the mind, body and spirit which produces passionate people who know how to pursue excellence in academics and athletics and more importantly in their daily lives."

Prior to Westmont, Smelley attended the University of Richmond where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Physical Education and acquired his teaching credential in English, PE, speech and health. He was an All-American middle distance runner for the Spiders with seven school records to his credit.

He continued directly from student teaching to being a physical education graduate teaching assistant while earning his MEd in Education at UR. During these two years of academic work, he served as the Spiders’ first head coach for women’s cross country and track & field and as an assistant men’s coach. He also competed on two USA Track & Field teams as he continued to train and compete during graduate school.

Smelley and his wife Allison, a Westmont alumna, are the parents of Travis, who is a Westmont alumnus, and of Alyssa who lost her battle with a brain tumor on July 4, 2006 at the age of 15. They enjoy the community of living in Las Barrancas, the faculty housing complex next to Westmont.