| Title: | Assistant Coach |
Following a storied playing career in the purple and gold, Chloe Smith has made the transition into the coaching side of the equation after joining Steve Springthorpe’s staff for her first season as an assistant coach in 2023.
Smith, who suited up for the Golden Eagles on the pitch from 2018-22, ended her Tech tenure with the fifth-most career points in program history with 47, the fifth-most career assists with 15 and the seventh-most career goals in school history with 16. The Cincinnati, Ohio native saved the best for last after wrapping up her Golden Eagle career with back-to-back All-OVC first-team accolades in 2021 and 2022.
Smith’s swan-song campaign in 2022 saw her lead the OVC in goals with nine, assists with seven and points with 25, 10 more than the next closest player in the conference. The 25 points, nine goals and seven assists were all good enough for sixth-most in a single-season in program history. The senior forward’s stellar performance played a pivotal role in Tech claiming its second-ever OVC regular-season title and first since 1998. For her efforts, she was named the Tennessee Tech Female Athlete of the Year.
After claiming the regular-season championship and earning a double-bye straight to the semifinals, Smith turned it on when the lights were brightest behind the program’s eighth hat trick in program history and second-ever in the OVC Tournament as part of a 5-0 victory over Lindenwood in the semifinals. The All-OVC first-teamer added an assist as well for a seven-point showing to tie the program record for most points in a single match.
Off the pitch, Smith’s career was equally as impressive on the way to being named the TTU Athletics Woman of the Year and was the Ohio Valley Conference’s nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year for 2022-23. A nine-time member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, a five-time member of the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll and a three-time recipient of the OVC’s Medal of Honor, Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering technology with a 3.91 GPA. She is currently pursuing her MBA and boasts a perfect 4.0 GPA.
