Back to the USC Trojans Newsfeed

REID: USC track coach Smith Gilbert finds peace with her UCLA past

Los Angeles – Caryl Smith Gilbert makes no apologies for her brand of tough love that has helped make USC’s director of track and field one of the brightest coaching stars in American track.

Miss a tutoring session? You can’t practice. Skip class and you can forget competing in the next meet.

“You have to be accountable,” Smith Gilbert, 47, said before a recent practice leading up to Sunday’s USC-UCLA dual meet. “You have to hold your word. You have to be responsible. There’s nothing more important than your education. If you don’t go to class, you don’t run track.