Amy Smith named first Clemson gymnastics head coach
CLEMSON, S.C. – Clemson Director of Athletics Graham Neff named Amy Smith Head Coach of the newly-formed women’s gymnastics program on Tuesday. Smith, a UCLA graduate, All-American and National Champion, has spent the past five seasons as the head coach at Utah State. Smith has more than 20 years of experience coaching collegiate gymnastics, which includes stops at North Carolina, UCLA, Missouri, Florida and Kentucky.
The Aggies have finished in the top 25 in consecutive seasons, the first time the program has accomplished the feat since 1998-99. Her 2022 team finished 23rd nationally, the highest among non-Power Five programs, and ranked 14th nationally on balance beam and 21st in floor exercise. The Aggies set a program record for the highest team score at an NCAA regional meet, and brought a conference title back to Logan, Utah for the first time since 2005.
Prior to her time at Utah State, she spent five seasons at North Carolina as an assistant coach and assistant head coach, which culminated in earning 2017 East Atlantic Gymnastics League Assistant Coach of the Year honors. During her stint at UCLA as an assistant coach, the Bruins had a third consecutive top-three finish at the 2012 NCAA Championships.
Smith was an assistant coach at Missouri from 2007-11 and helped guide the Tigers to their first-ever NCAA Championship appearance in 2010. Smith was a volunteer assistant coach at Florida from 2003-06, where she became an established choreographer, specializing in floor exercise. During her time with the Gators, Smith choreographed routines for six All-Americans. Smith also served as Kentucky’s choreographer from 2003-05.
She earned first-team All-American honors on both vault and floor in 1997, and also captured a Pac-10 Conference title on floor and an NCAA West Regional title on vault on the way to the 1997 Team National Championship. Smith was a team captain in both 1996 and 1997.
Smith started her athletic career at Oklahoma, winning the Big Eight vault title.
