Mia Smith

The all-time victories leader for women’s basketball at Illinois Wesleyan University, head coach Mia Smith will be starting her 10th season at the school in the 2007-08 campaign. In her first nine seasons, Smith has coached the Titans to a record of 143-91 (.611 winning percentage) and a 79-47 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin record (.627).
In her nine seasons she has coached 17 all-conference selections, including two league “Most Outstanding Players” and she became the school’s all-time win leader with a win on Jan. 20, 2007 at North Park, passing Mandy Neal (135-120 from 1989-98).

In 2006-07, IWU sported a 22-6 record and played in the NCAA Division III tournament. The team set a school record for victories, topping the old mark of 20, and also set school records for 3-pointers in a game (19 at Emory) and season (247, eclipsing the record of 209 set in 2003). IWU was ranked nationally throughout the season after opening with a 10-game winning streak, including a victory over eventual national champion DePauw. IWU was ranked as high as No. 10 on Feb. 6.

Smith's 2005-06 team was 19-8 overall (10-4 CCIW) and advanced to the championship game of the CCIW postseason tournament and in 2005, IWU was beaten in the CCIW final by eventual national Division III champion Milikin.
In 2002-03, the Titans were 20-9 and 11-3 in the CCIW, winning both the regular season and tournament championships (the first in women’s basketball at IWU). The Titans also won their first-ever NCAA Division III tournament game after being 0-2 in two previous appearances. Smith was named the 2003 Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Division III co-“Coach of the Year.”

Prior to coming to IWU in 1998, Smith coached (since 1994) volleyball and softball at Division III Monmouth College (Illinois), where her volleyball teams were 55-69 in four seasons and her softball teams were 61-54.
Smith coached basketball and two other sports at Carrollton High School in west central Illinois from 1986 to 1994. Her basketball mark was 156-55 with three consecutive regional and sectional titles and she was twice named IBCA regional “Coach of the Year.” Her 1992 team finished 28-3 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Class A state tournament, and her 1993 and 1994 teams both lost in the super-sectional round. In volleyball, Smith’s Carrollton teams were 127-69 with five straight regional titles and her softball teams were 97-54 with three regional championships and two league championships.

A native of Farina, Ill., and graduate of LaGrove High School, Smith earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physical education from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, where she was a four-year letterwinner in basketball and softball. She was the basketball team captain for three seasons and earned “Defensive Player of the Year” honors four times. She was named to the 1983 Dial Classic all-tournament team. A Dean’s List student, she was an SIUE “Scholar-Athlete” and the school’s “Sportsmanship Award” winner in 1986.

Smith also teaches classes in the IWU physical education department.