Michigan State University Women's Cross Country

Aaron Simoneau joined the MSU cross country and track & field programs as a full-time assistant coach in December of 2014. He enters his 11th season with the...

• 2015 USTFCCCA Great Lakes Women's Indoor Assistant Track Coach of the Year • 2019 USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Women's Assistant Coach of the Year • 2020 Bi...

After two seasons as a graduate assistant, Benoit was named an assistant distance coach for the Spartans in August 2021. He enters his fifth season overall with the program for the 2023-24 season. In his first season as an assistant coach, Benoit helped women's cross country to its 14th consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championships after winning the Big Ten Championship and finishing fourth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. The former Spartan standout helped graduate student Katie Osika and junior Makenna Veen to all-conference finishes at the Big Ten Championships while Osika finished the season as an All-American. On the track, Benoit has helped coach five All-American distance runners on the women's side and nine on the men's side across two years in distance-related events since becoming a full time assistant. Michigan State had great success during Benoit’s guidance as a graduate assistant. In 2021, the women’s cross country team finished fourth at the NCAA Championships, while the men were 17th. This was the best combined finish for the men and women in MSU history. Jenna Magness, Lynsie Gram, India Johnson and Morgan Beadlescomb all earned All-American honors in cross country during the 2020-21 campaign. The Spartans also had tremendous success under Benoit during the indoor and outdoor track seasons. In 2021, Beadlescomb and Magness again captured All-American honors in the 5000m, this time in both the indoor and outdoor track seasons. Benoit had a successful runni

Began at Michigan State: July 2021 Education: Smeltzer-Pickard received a B.S. in kinesiology from MSU in 2012 and then an M.S. in kinesiology in 2014. Job Responsibilities: Smeltzer-Pickard is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Cross Country & Track and Field program. Past Experience: Before returning to Michigan State, Smeltzer-Pickard most recently was a Cross Country & Track and Field coach at Vanderbilt University for five years. She also was a coach at Western Michigan for two years and was a former graduate student and student-athlete at MSU. A former standout for the Spartans from 2007-12, Rebekah Smeltzer-Pickard returned to Michigan State in August 2021 as the Director of Track & Field Operations. A four-time letterwinner and graduate assistant during her first stint with MSU, Smeltzer-Pickard came back to East Lansing after spending five seasons as the assistant coach for the Vanderbilt cross country and track & field teams. Prior to Vanderbilt, Smeltzer-Pickard was the assistant coach for Western Michigan’s cross country and track & field teams from 2014-16. During her time in Nashville, Smeltzer-Pickard oversaw the Commodores’ cross country runners earn five All-SEC selections and six NCAA All-Region honors, with Grace Jensen most recently taking home All-SEC Second Team distinction in 2020. The Vanderbilt runners in 2019 boasted the second men’s All-SEC honoree in program history as well as two all-region selections (Nick Laning, Ana Wallace), an A