Dibbini Elevates Smith to Associate Head Coach
Oct 02, 2018 | Soccer
MANHATTAN, Kansas – Kansas State women's soccer head coach Mike Dibbini has promoted Jessica Smith to the role of associate head coach. Smith is in her third season on the coaching staff with the Wildcats.
"The title lends more integrity to what Jess means to this program, but our players already have tremendous respect for her anyway," said Dibbini about Smith's value to the program. "She is a great role model. Jess brings a lot to the table She has helped empower the players to always be more determined and driven toward pursuing a better level of excellence on and off the field. She is very driven to reach her top-level goals. She brings many years of experience as an assistant coach at the Big 12 level. We are fortunate to have Jess as a part of our soccer family and I look forward to building our young program together."
As a member of Dibbini's coaching staff, Smith is responsible for K-State's offensive attack and working individually with the student-athletes on their offensive games. In addition to Smith's coaching duties, her responsibilities include: practice preparation, scouting, university and community engagement and recruiting evaluation.
In 2018, Smith achieved a US Soccer's Senior A License.
"I'm very grateful to Coach Dibbini and the administration for promoting me to associate head coach," said Smith about her increased role on the staff. "It's been an incredible opportunity to be a part of the K-State family and building our soccer program. I'm very eager to continue the work that Coach Dibbini has challenged us all to do. Each day, I'm grateful for the people who I get to work with on and off the field. They challenge me to get better and I would not have this opportunity without them."
Prior to her time at Kansas State, Smith served as an assistant coach on the Kansas staff from 2011 until 2015. During her time on the sidelines with the Jayhawks, she helped guide the program to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in 2011 and 2014 and a trip to the Big 12 Conference tournament final in 2015.
Under Smith's guidance, the Jayhawks' offense tallied 35 or more goals in four seasons as the 2011 team registered one of the top offensive seasons in program history. KU scored the second-most goals in school history (46) and totaled 131 points, which was the third-highest single-season mark in program history.
In 2013, Smith was selected as one of 15 women by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) for their inaugural 30-Under-30 Coaching Program for rising coaches.
Before she joined the KU coaching staff, Smith coached at various levels in the Kansas City Metro area, including as a varsity assistant coach for both the boys' and girls' teams at Olathe Northwest High School. During her time at ONWHS, she helped guide the Lady Ravens to back-to-back region championships in 2008 and 2009, while assisting with the Ravens' boys regional championship team in 2007. Several of her players on both the girls' and boys' sides went on to play soccer at the collegiate level.
In addition to her coaching duties at Olathe Northwest, Smith served as a coach with the Kansas State Olympic Development Program (ODP) girls' program. In 2008, she was an assistant with the 1992 team, which was the first Kansas ODP team (boys or girls) to win an ODP Regional Championship. Her team went on to participate in the US Youth Soccer National ODP Championship tournament. Smith is currently working on Region II ODP staff with the 2000 birth year team.
Smith has also spent time working with TOPSoccer programs throughout the state of Kansas in 2008 until 2011 as a chairperson as well as a coach. TOPSoccer is U.S. Youth Soccer's outreach program for children with special needs.
As a student-athlete from 2002-05 with Kansas, Smith played in 83 career games and was team captain in 2005. She was a two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection and helped the Jayhawks win the Big 12 regular season title in 2004 and aided the 2003 squad to a third round appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Smith scored 16 goals in her career with the Jayhawks including seven in her freshman season. Her 16 career goals rank eighth in school history. She also dished out 10 assists. She garnered a pair of Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors and was named to the Soccer Buzz Elite Team of the Week in 2005. She graduated from KU in 2006 with a degree in sports and fitness management.
Smith was an NSCAA All-American at Wichita Southeast High School. The product of Wichita, Kansas, is the program's all-time leading scorer after graduating in 2002. At the end of her senior season in 2002, Smith was named Miss Soccer for the state of Kansas and the Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year.
In 2012, Smith was an inaugural inductee into the Wichita Southeast High School Athletics Hall of Fame and in 2018 was named to the Wichita Sports Hall of Fame.
Kansas State will begin a three-match home stand on Friday against Kansas in the first Dillon Sunflower Showdown match to be played at the K-State Soccer Complex. First kick is set for 7 p.m. Tickets for Friday's match are available by calling (800) 221-CATS or by visiting kstatesports.com/tickets.
"The title lends more integrity to what Jess means to this program, but our players already have tremendous respect for her anyway," said Dibbini about Smith's value to the program. "She is a great role model. Jess brings a lot to the table She has helped empower the players to always be more determined and driven toward pursuing a better level of excellence on and off the field. She is very driven to reach her top-level goals. She brings many years of experience as an assistant coach at the Big 12 level. We are fortunate to have Jess as a part of our soccer family and I look forward to building our young program together."
As a member of Dibbini's coaching staff, Smith is responsible for K-State's offensive attack and working individually with the student-athletes on their offensive games. In addition to Smith's coaching duties, her responsibilities include: practice preparation, scouting, university and community engagement and recruiting evaluation.
In 2018, Smith achieved a US Soccer's Senior A License.
"I'm very grateful to Coach Dibbini and the administration for promoting me to associate head coach," said Smith about her increased role on the staff. "It's been an incredible opportunity to be a part of the K-State family and building our soccer program. I'm very eager to continue the work that Coach Dibbini has challenged us all to do. Each day, I'm grateful for the people who I get to work with on and off the field. They challenge me to get better and I would not have this opportunity without them."
Prior to her time at Kansas State, Smith served as an assistant coach on the Kansas staff from 2011 until 2015. During her time on the sidelines with the Jayhawks, she helped guide the program to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in 2011 and 2014 and a trip to the Big 12 Conference tournament final in 2015.
Under Smith's guidance, the Jayhawks' offense tallied 35 or more goals in four seasons as the 2011 team registered one of the top offensive seasons in program history. KU scored the second-most goals in school history (46) and totaled 131 points, which was the third-highest single-season mark in program history.
In 2013, Smith was selected as one of 15 women by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) for their inaugural 30-Under-30 Coaching Program for rising coaches.
Before she joined the KU coaching staff, Smith coached at various levels in the Kansas City Metro area, including as a varsity assistant coach for both the boys' and girls' teams at Olathe Northwest High School. During her time at ONWHS, she helped guide the Lady Ravens to back-to-back region championships in 2008 and 2009, while assisting with the Ravens' boys regional championship team in 2007. Several of her players on both the girls' and boys' sides went on to play soccer at the collegiate level.
In addition to her coaching duties at Olathe Northwest, Smith served as a coach with the Kansas State Olympic Development Program (ODP) girls' program. In 2008, she was an assistant with the 1992 team, which was the first Kansas ODP team (boys or girls) to win an ODP Regional Championship. Her team went on to participate in the US Youth Soccer National ODP Championship tournament. Smith is currently working on Region II ODP staff with the 2000 birth year team.
Smith has also spent time working with TOPSoccer programs throughout the state of Kansas in 2008 until 2011 as a chairperson as well as a coach. TOPSoccer is U.S. Youth Soccer's outreach program for children with special needs.
As a student-athlete from 2002-05 with Kansas, Smith played in 83 career games and was team captain in 2005. She was a two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection and helped the Jayhawks win the Big 12 regular season title in 2004 and aided the 2003 squad to a third round appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Smith scored 16 goals in her career with the Jayhawks including seven in her freshman season. Her 16 career goals rank eighth in school history. She also dished out 10 assists. She garnered a pair of Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors and was named to the Soccer Buzz Elite Team of the Week in 2005. She graduated from KU in 2006 with a degree in sports and fitness management.
Smith was an NSCAA All-American at Wichita Southeast High School. The product of Wichita, Kansas, is the program's all-time leading scorer after graduating in 2002. At the end of her senior season in 2002, Smith was named Miss Soccer for the state of Kansas and the Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year.
In 2012, Smith was an inaugural inductee into the Wichita Southeast High School Athletics Hall of Fame and in 2018 was named to the Wichita Sports Hall of Fame.
Kansas State will begin a three-match home stand on Friday against Kansas in the first Dillon Sunflower Showdown match to be played at the K-State Soccer Complex. First kick is set for 7 p.m. Tickets for Friday's match are available by calling (800) 221-CATS or by visiting kstatesports.com/tickets.
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