Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University (APSU) Director of Track & Field/Cross Country and Head Track & Field Coach Asha Gibson Smith announced the addition of Victoria Gonzales to her coaching staff ahead of the 2026-27 seasons.
Gonzales comes to Clarksville from Georgia State where she was an assistant track & field, coaching the Panthers’ distance program, and assistant cross country coach. During her first season in Atlanta, GSU had 76 personal and career-best performances, a program record, and multiple athletes earning scoring finishes at Sun Belt Championships.
Before her time with Georgia State, Gonzales served as the head cross country coach and assistant track & field coach at Central Oklahoma. During her tenure, the Bronchos produced more than 20 personal bests, over 15 school records, three NCAA national qualifiers, and one All-American.
Before arriving at Central Oklahoma, Gonzales spent the 2022–23 season at Barton Community College, where she helped rebuild the distance program. She guided the men’s cross country team to its first Top 10 Region VI finish in six years and a return to the NJCAA National Championships. During the outdoor track season, Barton captured both the men’s and women’s Region VI Championships, with Gonzales coaching an NJCAA National Champion and multiple Top 10 national finishers.
From 2019–2022, Gonzales served as an assistant coach at Texas A&M–Corpus Christi during one of the most successful periods in program history. She helped lead the women’s cross country team to the 2021 Southland Conference Championship and coached both the men’s and women’s teams to Top 10 finishes at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships, including a qualifier for the NCAA Cross Country Championships. During her tenure, the Islanders produced three NCAA national qualifiers, four conference champions, 23 Top 3 conference finishers, more than 40 Top 10 conference finishers, and over 25 school records.
Gonzales began her coaching career at Satsuma High School in Alabama, where she led the girls’ cross country team to its first state championship appearance in school history and coached multiple state qualifiers in track & field.
A two-time graduate, Gonzales earned a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Human Performance & Exercise Science from the University of Mobile in 2018 and a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Services from the University of North Texas in 2023. She is a USTFCCCA Certified Distance Specialist and a USATF Level 1 Certified Coach.
