“She does not rest on her Olympic accolades; she works as hard as anybody out there.” – SIU distance coach Matt Sparks

“They have taught me a lot just in how to deal with everything,” Price-Smith said. “It would be hard to take a class on it, it’s just something you have to experience.”

“My parents taught me no matter what you do give everything that you have to do it and work your hardest at it.”

Price-Smith chose to play basketball instead of track for the first four years of school but decided to switch to track during her fifth year of school.

Price-Smith said current throws coach John Smith, whom she married in 1990, played a role in her decision to join the track team along with the opportunity to continue her schooling.

“He was helping with the women’s squad here when I decided to come back out,” Price-Smith said. “Plus I had to finish my internship and track was able to pay for a fifth year for me.”

During her career as an athlete, Price-Smith has garnered plenty of awards and firsts. After college, she has won 18 outdoor national championships, six indoor national championships and is a four-time Olympian. In 1996, Price-Smith came just four inches short of a bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Atlanta.

She was the first woman in U.S. history to be ranked in the shotput five years in a row.

Participating in Saluki sports for five years did not take away from Price-Smith’s ability in the classroom.

“Juggling athletics and school kind of went hand in hand,” Price-Smith said. “I knew that athletics was paying for me to get my education through school and I’ve always been athletic. I’ve always worked really hard in the classroom, ever since high school.”

As a coach, Price-Smith was named the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Coach of the Year in 2005 and that same year led the Salukis to their first indoor conference title since 1992.

Price-Smith was named the 2007 SIUC Woman of Distinction on March 29. In addition to the award, Price-Smith was also named the throws coach for the 2008 U.S. Olympic team.

In her coaching career, Price-Smith has 28 MVC champions, eight NCAA qualifiers and more than 100 all-MVC performances.

Senior triple jump competitor Antwon Stapleton said Price-Smith is always prepared to do what is necessary to get her team ready for a meet.

“She is a real strong person,” Stapleton said. “She’s willing to do whatever to help you do what you got to do on the track.”

The thing about Price-Smith that impressed Saluki distance coach Matt Sparks the most was Price-Smith’s ability to make the transition from athlete to coach.

“She does not rest on her Olympic accolades, she works as hard as anybody out there,” Sparks said. “That’s what most impresses me about her is the level of commitment and work she has carried over to her professional life.”

Price-Smith said she never thought she would coach after high school and never thought she would be back at SIU, but is very happy that she is. Price-Smith is in her third year as the coach for the men’s and women’s squads and said she plans on being here for awhile.

“After I graduated from college, I thought I would go and find a job somewhere, I never thought I would coach and I never thought I would be back here at SIU,” Price-Smith said. “I have no plans on going anywhere. I really enjoy my job, the kids and the area; its just a good place to be.”