Lincoln Memorial Names Stephanie Smith As Women’s Basketball Coach

HARROGATE, TN - Less than two weeks after learning that LMU women's basketball coach Larry Just would leave the program after only one season, Lincoln Memorial University Athletics Director Roger Vannoy officially announced Stephanie Smith as the program's new head coach at a press conference on Thursday morning.

Smith, a native of Mt. Vernon, Kentucky, comes to Lincoln Memorial from Daytona Beach College in Dayton Beach, Florida where she has been head coach since 2004. Last season, Smith and Falcons ended the year with a 20-10 regular season record, falling short of the FCCAA/NJCAA Region VIII Tournament.

Before taking over the helm at Daytona Beach College, Smith spent the 2003-04 season with Cowley County College in Kansas. Her duties at Cowley came after serving as head coach at Wabash Valley College in Mt. Carmel, Illinois from 1991 to 2003 where she led the Warriors to the Region XXIV and GRAC Championship with a 31-2 record before earning 2003 Russell Athletic/WBCA JC/CC National Coach of the Year.

Some of Smith's other accolades at Wabash include, 12 twenty-win seasons, conference championships in 2001, 2002 and 2003, and a preseason ranking of 2nd in the nation, with a high of No. 6 during the regular season. "I am very excited to be able to bring in a proven winner like Coach Smith," said LMU Athletics Director Roger Vannoy. "Known nationally as both a premier recruiter and a tireless worker, Coach Smith is also a very caring person that will bring a lot to the LMU community and will be a great role model for our young ladies."

Smith got her start in women's college basketball with St. Catharine Junior College in Springfield, Kentucky in 1985 where she served as assistant, after graduating from Sue Bennett Junior College that same year. Smith also holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Campbellsville College and a master's degree from Oakland City University.

Smith will take over a Lady Railsplitter program that finished the 2007-08 season with a 13-15 record and a 3-11 conference mark. Ten players are expected to return from last year's squad, with only the loss of seniors Heather Benton (Wooton, Kentucky) and Kate Fane (Sterling, IL). Smith will begin her new duties immediately.