Coaching Staff
RUSSELL SMELLEYHead Cross Country CoachE-Mail Coach SmelleyWhat the athletes say… "There are many knowledgeable coaches, but what impresses me most is that Russell not only has this incredible knowledge and experience, but he also has the ability to relate to each individual team member on a personal level. He knows us as runners, but more importantly, he takes the time to get to know the true person inside." "Russell has had a big impact on my life in college. He welcomed me to the Westmont community. He encourages his team to persevere in all aspects of life, and be the absolute best that they can be." "Even when we weren’t performing at our best, Russell looked to our potential and knew we could do better."
Russell Smelley begins his twenty-ninth year at Westmont. His tenure has produced numerous NAIA All-Americans and NAIA All-American Scholar-Athletes in both cross country and track and field. Smelley guided the women’s cross country team to national prominence and was named NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1995. His men’s and women’s teams have won 13 conference titles. Smelley was inducted into the NAIA Cross Country Hall of Fame in November of 1999. Smelley has also served as the President of the NAIA Cross Country Coaches Association. Asked to describe himself as a coach, Smelley replied, “Hopefully I am a philosophically based, kinesiology based coached so that there is reason and facts to support my coaching decisions. I seek to be a teacher who can convey hope and concern for the student-athlete as a person in all aspects of their lives.” Under Smelley’s leadership during the 2006 season, Anna Stumbo was named an NAIA Cross Country All-American while the men’s team finished sixth at the national championship. Six athletes were honored as NAIA Scholar-Athletes The Westmont track and field teams have also been successful, with at least one athlete claiming NAIA All-American honors in 20 of the last 22 years, including each of the past 15 years. In May of 2007, Stumbo became the second Westmont athlete in as many years to win the NAIA National Championship in the women’s marathon. Jessica Goulder won the same honor in 2006. Stumbo also earned All-American honors with a second place finish in the indoor 5,000 meters. Lindsey Connolly also collected All-American honors with a sixth place finish in the 3,000 meter race walk at outdoor nationals. Aaron Megazzi earned his third All-American recognition with a third place finish in the 5,000 meters at outdoor nationals. Ten track and field athletes were named NAIA Scholar-Athletes in 2007. “I would like athletes to be able to compete at a higher level than they have before,” continued Smelley. “In the four years they are at Westmont, I would like to see student-athletes maturing and coming to know themselves more realistically. I hope to challenge them to be culturally different in their discipline and in the affections, and to be emotionally healthy, strong, resilient individuals who can follow their dreams. By culturally different, I mean different than the milieu of their peer group – not tied to what their generation considers successes or important.” Besides his coaching duties, Smelley is a tenured professor in the Kinesiology Department. His classroom work earned him the distinction of being named "Teacher of the Year" in 1988 and again in 2002. Coach Smelley carries that quality of teaching over to his work with the Westmont cross country and track teams. He takes special pride in developing the potential of each individual athlete academically, athletically, and spiritually. "Ultimately, it is important to help the students improve their self-esteem and confidence in order to enable them to become more self-reliant and thus reach their greatest potential," says Smelley. "This is development of the mind, body and spirit and it produces outstanding people who can succeed in academics, athletics and life." Prior to coming to Westmont, Smelley earned a BA degree in English and Physical Education, and an MA in Education at the University of Richmond where he was an All-American middle distance runner for the Spiders. He spent two years serving as head women’s cross country and track and field coach at Richmond, and as assistant men’s coach. Smelley and his wife Allison are the parents of eleven-year-old Travis and of Alyssa who lost her battle with a brain tumor on July 4, 2006 at the age of 15. 
JOHN LARRALDEAssistant CoachJohn Larralde brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Westmont cross country and track and field programs. His coaching resume includes 21 years at Carpinteria High School, four years at Santa Barbara High School, three years at the University of California Berkeley, and two stints at Westmont. Added together, Larralde has coached 31 cross country seasons and 34 track and field seasons. "My role is in training and in teaching racing tactics and skills," said the veteran coach. "I believe athletics is a major part of the education process. It gives students an opportunity to understand and discover themselves and provides an opportunity for personal growth." "I’m thankful for the opportunity to work with a close personal friend [in Coach Smelley]," said Larralde, "as well as the opportunity to grow and improve as a coach. I believe that coaching is a never ending learning process." A native Santa Barbaran, Larralde participated in track, football, baseball and basketball at Santa Barbara High School. After graduation from high school, Larralde attended Santa Barbara City College where he played basketball for two years. While at SBCC, the team had an opportunity to play the freshman squad from UCLA that included Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Lynn Shackelford. After SBCC, Larralde served in the Air Force for four years before returning to his educational pursuits first at the University of Nevada Reno, and then at UC Santa Barbara. For more than 20 years, Larralde served as a production manager at Rincon Publishing. 
JOE MENDELSONAssistant CoachA graduate of Notre Dame, Joe Mendelson has joined the Warriors’ coaching staff during the 2006-07 season. A distance runner for the Irish, Mendelson took up the sport of race walking twenty years ago in Monterey. “Joe brings to our program a high degree of organization and a training program he learned from a great coach named Mihaly Igloi - a Hungarian ex-patriate who back in the 60s trained Olympic caliber athletes,” said head coach Russell Smelley. “It’s a program which is especially good for people who are not experienced, who have a low degree of fitness and who need to be watched more closely. We utilize Joe’s abilities for athletes in rehab development and in race walking.” In his first season with the team, Mendelson coached a handful of race walkers, including Lindsey Connolly who earned All-American honors at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships last May. 
CALEB AMBROSEAssistant CoachAfter graduating from Westmont in May of 2007, Caleb Ambrose returned to serve as an assistant cross country coach this fall. Caleb brings the advantage of having recently graduated,” said head coach Russell Smelley. “He knows the team and helps bring both enthusiasm and perspective which is helpful.” As a Westmont athlete, Ambrose competed in two national cross country championship races and in the 1500 meters and 4 X 800 meter relays at the NAIA Outdoor National Championship He was also a member of the distance medley relay team at the NAIA Indoor National Championships where he also competed in national finals of the mile race as a junior. |
