CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – After leading Austin Peay State University's track & field and cross country programs to their best seasons in recent memory, Director of Track & Field/Cross Country and Head Track & Field Coach Asha Gibson-Smith agreed to a contract extension through the 2029 season, Austin Peay Director of Athletics Jordan Harmon announced Friday.
"Coach Gibson-Smith has elevated our track and field and cross country programs to new heights, building a culture that demands excellence in competition, in the classroom, the community, and in every aspect of the student-athlete experience," said Harmon. "The momentum surrounding these programs has never been stronger and her leadership, vision, and commitment to developing champions both on and off the field make her the right person to continue leading Austin Peay track & field and cross country. We are excited for the future of our programs under her leadership!"
"I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Dr. Mike Licari and Jordan Harmon for their continued support and trust in the vision and direction of our cross country and track and field programs under my leadership," said Gibson-Smith. "We are steadily building and sustaining a championship‑minded culture that is both confident and ambitious. Over the past three seasons, it has been a special journey as our student‑athletes have elevated their performance in the classroom, in the community, and in competition. This success reflects their unwavering commitment and belief in the work we are doing together. As we move forward, I am excited for what lies ahead and look forward to achieving even more with our student‑athletes, within the athletic department and community."
During the 2025-26 season, Gibson-Smith led the Governors' track & field program to both the most successful indoor and outdoor championships as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference, as the team surpassed its previous record for points at both respective meets while raking in a combined 13 medals.
In the final meet ahead of the ASUN Indoor Championships, Sydney Freeman – who broke the women's cross country 6K mark at the NCAA South Regionals in mid-Nov. – shattered the 5K mark by 10 seconds. That same week, Amani Sharif earned ASUN Field Performer of the Week honors after posting a 6.02-meter mark in the long jump at Samford's Bulldog Open. It was the first of two times that Sharif would surpass the six-meter mark in the event.
APSU opened the 2026 ASUN Indoor Championships by earning two of its six medals at the meet. Sharif took home silver in the pentathlon, while Madelyn Kocik earned bronze in the long jump. The following day, a silver medal by Mia McGee and a bronze by Taylin Segree in the 400-meter dash began the afternoon's events. Alexis Arnett, Mariah Mitchem, Segree, and McGee then earned bronze in the 4x400, while Kocik concluded the Govs' podium finishes with a bronze in the triple jump.
After beginning the outdoor season with Kocik earning ASUN Field Performer of the Week honors after winning the triple jump at Murray State's Margaret Simmons Invitational, the Govs followed it up with Alijanae Cole, McGee, Mitchem, and Segree breaking the 4x400-meter relay record at the Tennessee Invitational. The previous record had held since 2002.
Shaye Foster finished the regular season by breaking her own program record in the 3K steeplechase twice in as many meets, while Freeman would again cement herself in the record book by breaking Foster's marks in the ASUN Outdoor Championship by 10 seconds.
The Govs earned seven medals in the outdoor championships including two gold medals– Amani Sharif with a 6.2-meter long jump and McGee, Segree, Arnett, and Mitchem in the 4x400. Seven Pettus, Isis Banks, Mallory Hodge, and Mitchem also broke the previous program record and earned silver in the 4x100, and Hodge would go on to break the 100-meter record on the final day of the championships. Laure Marie Kidukula earned silver in the 800-meter while Hodge (200M), Emmani Roberts (triple jump), and Kocik (long jump) earned bronze at the meet. APSU's third-place finish and 104 total points both were the program's most at any ASUN Track & Field Championship.
Following the ASUN Outdoor Championships, Sharif and Hodge qualified for the 2026 NCAA Division I Women's Outdoor Track & Field East First Rounds, making them the first Govs to qualify since Lauren Lewis in 2024. They also were the first Austin Peay duo to compete since Kenisha Phillips and Karlijn Schouten in 2021. Freshman Molly Brown also qualified for the USATF U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, marking APSU's second-straight year having an athlete compete in the national event and the first since Segree the year prior.
Austin Peay also made national headlines during Gibson-Smith's third year at the helm, as redshirt junior Tahmar Upshaw became the first Governor in APSU Athletics history to set a world record. On April 17, Upshaw set the T46 800-meter world record at the Bryan Clay Invitational with a time of 1:48.80, surpassing the previous record of 1:51.82 which had stood since the 2012 London Paralympic Games. Upshaw's record mark was viewed over three million times worldwide and would earn him USATF National Athlete of the Week honors – the first Governor to receive the award in program history.
Upshaw went on to break the Americas T46 1500-meter record less than two months later at the LA Grand Prix, June 13. His mark surpassed the previous record – held since Feb. 2017 – by nearly two seconds. Lastly, the APSU newcomer would go on to become the first Governor to compete in the Para National Championships in New York, July 15, and finish second in the 1500-meter.
Academically, the Govs had 20 student-athletes earn Academic All-ASUN honors -- four women's cross country, four men's cross country, six indoor season, and six outdoor season - during the 2025-26 season, while Taylin Segree became the first player in program history to earn ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors following the outdoor season. Collectively, the team also earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors for the third time in as many years under Gibson-Smith after posting at least a 3.46 team-wide GPA across the fall and spring semesters.
