ATHENS, Ga. — The Bulldogs collected two U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) national awards, according to an announcement Tuesday.
 
Caryl Smith Gilbert garnered Women’s National Coach of the Year honors and Karim Abdel Wahab was voted Women’s National Assistant Coach of the Year.
 
Smith Gilbert’s honor was the first of its kind for the Bulldogs since Petros Kyprianou earned the honor in 2017. Smith Gilbert was the National Women’s Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2021 while at USC.  Abdel Wahab is the first winner of the National Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year at Georgia.
 
Smith Gilbert, who was also the USTFCCCA South Region Women’s Coach of the Year, locked down her third team national championship and first at Georgia by leaving the nearest competition behind by 26 points at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.  She led Georgia to its first SEC outdoor team championship since 2006 thanks 103.5 points, 21.5 points ahead of the nearest opposition.  Smith Gilbert had four NCAA individual champions and 10 scorers to highlight the Bulldogs’ national title run.
 
Abdel Wahab, who was also the USTFCCCA South Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year, guided his event area athletes to total 34 of Georgia’s 73 points as the team clinched the women’s first NCAA outdoor crown.  He had the 400-meter dash champion  (Aaliyah Butler) and the 400m runner-up (Dejanea Oakley), the bronze medalist in the 400m hurdles (Michelle Smith) and concluded the meet with the winning 4x400m relay squad (Butler, Oakley, Smith, Sydney Harris).  Abdel Wahab helped Georgia win the 2025 SEC outdoor crown as well.  His crew went first and fourth in the 400m, second in the 400m hurdles and second in the 4x400m relay during the team’s run to its first SEC crown since 2006.