Bio

Tom Monahan Smith enters his sixth season at Michigan Tech as the head coach of the Nordic ski teams and assistant coach with the cross country teams.

The 2021-22 season proved to be one of the best season as 14 Huskies earned USCSCA Academic All-America with a team GPA of 3.7 On the big stage, MTU had three All-America finishes in Anabel Needham (4th CL 5km), Nea Katajala (7th CL 5km) and Skylar Patten (10th SK 20km). The women earned their highest finish at the NCAA Skiing Championships in program history placing fourth. The Huskies were also combined overall team champions at the NCAA Central Regional Skiing Championships, racking up 15 All-Region honorees with Nea Katajala and Henriette Semb winning individual titles at Regionals. The women’s team also claimed the team win at the NCAA Central Regional Skiing Championships. The Black & Gold also were combined overall team champions at the CCSA Conference Championships with nine student-athletes earning All-CCSA honors.

The Michigan Tech men's and women's teams both finished second at the CCSA Championships and Central Region Championships during the 2019-20 campaign. Senior Sarah Goble earned NCAA All-American honors in the 5-kilometer skate after finishing seventh with a time of 14:11.7 at the NCAA National Championships. Six athletes qualified for the national championships and 10 athletes earned all-region honors.

The Michigan Tech women's ski team finished the 2018-19 season in the Top 10 at the NCAA National Championships, with two skiers placing in the Top 15. Two skiers won individual NCAA Central Region Skiing Championship titles, and 10 Huskies earned All-Region honors. In the classroom, 15 Michigan Tech skiers earned USCSCA All-Academic recognition, the most of any Nordic program in the country.

In the 2017-18 season, Monahan Smith guided five Michigan Tech skiers to NCAA Championship qualification, and saw 14 of his skiers make USCSCA All-Academic. As a team, the Huskies finished second at the NCAA Central Region Skiing Championships, with nine student-athletes earning All-Region honors.

Monahan Smith, a native of Bend, Oregon, came to Houghton after serving as the Head Postgraduate Program Coach of the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation in Ketchum, Idaho. Sun Valley provides year-round training and competitive opportunities for youth. Monahan Smith provided professional programming and support for competitive development, allowing his skiers to gain positions on collegiate ski teams, national development teams, elite teams, and national teams. Monahan Smith helped guide Sun Valley to a fourth place overall finish in the club standings at the 2017 XC Junior National Championships.

Throughout his coaching career, Monahan Smith has coached an NCAA National Champion, numerous NCAA All-Americans, a Paralympian, and multiple Junior All-Americans. His team's have won junior titles and competed in World Junior and U23 World Championships. His skiers have also earned collegiate Nordic skiing scholarships at universities across the country. Monahan Smith owns USSA level 100 and 200 coaches certifications.

In addition to coaching at Sun Valley, Monahan Smith served as the Head Domestic National Team Coach for Australia, the Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club, Victorian Junior Cross-Country Ski Team, and the program instructor for the Mt. Beauty, Australia Primary and Secondary Schools. He was also a student assistant coach with the University of Utah when the Utes finished second at the 2013 NCAA Championships.

Monahan Smith was an outstanding student-athlete at the University of Utah where he helped guide the Utes to a pair of second-place NCAA Championship finishes in both 2011 and 2012. Monahan Smith began his collegiate career as a walk-on but eventually earned a scholarship after scoring in two straight NCAA Championships. Monahan Smith was named a Pac 12/Mountain West Scholar-Athlete all four years as a student-athlete.

Monahan Smith was a gold medalist in the freestyle sprint at the U.S. Junior Nationals in 2007 as well as being a six-time Junior All-American. He was also a prolific skier in high school, claiming the Oregon High School Nordic State Champion title three times. Monahan Smith comes from a skiing family with his parents, brother, sister, and cousins all racing at the collegiate level.

Monahan Smith graduated from Utah in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in environmental and sustainability studies and also a bachelor's degree in international studies.