Dallas Smith is entering his eighth season on the Lindenwood wrestling staff in 2023-24, including his third as head coach.
Smith led the Lions into their first NCAA Division I season in 2022-23. Along the way, Lindenwood faced four of the top 25 teams in the country. Under the guidance of Smith, Gavin Londoff took first at the Lindenwood open, while Kalen Napier toppled the No. 4 ranked wrestler at 141 on December 11.
The Lindenwood men's wrestling finished the 2021-22 winter campaign with a 6-5 record, finishing third at the inaugural GLVC Dual Championships. The Lions also competed in four open tournaments, in addition to the dual slate. The Lions finished 34th at the DII National Championships, with Colby Smith placing sixth at 141. In total, four Lions advanced to the national meet following their performance at the Super Region IV event, while the team placed fifth.
In 2020-21, Smith helped guide the Lions to a third-place finish at the NCAA Division II National Championships. The Lions carried five wrestlers to the championship tournament in St. Louis, Mo., as all five earned All-American status. Abner Romero claimed the individual title at 174 pounds, after capping off a perfect season at 12-0. Lindenwood took second place in a controversial scoring method at the Super Regional, as four earned individual championships. The Lions took home its first-ever GLVC Championship title with a 32-8 win over No. 10 UIndy. Lindenwood was a perfect 5-0 in conference competition, and registered a perfect 5-0 record at home.
Lindenwood celebrated its senior class with a pair of wins in early February, as the Lions took down Kentucky Wesleyan and Central Missouri by a combined score of 108-3. The Lions traveled to Ames, Iowa to take on No. 13 Iowa State, and put up a good fight. Lindenwood won three matches in its only blemish on the schedule. The biggest dual of the regular season came on the first date of competition for the Lions, as Lindenwood took down No. 5 McKendree by a slim 19-18 margin.
Along with the five All-Americans, Lindenwood garnered 14 NWCA Scholar All-Americans. The Lions placed four wrestlers on the first-team All-GLVC squad, while three landed on the second-team, and three more on the third-team. Tim Bogar was the only Lindenwood wrestler to earn the GLVC Council of Presidents' Academic Excellence Award. The GLVC recognized two Lindenwood wrestlers as Brother James Gaffney Distinguished Scholars.
In 2019-20, Smith helped lead the Lions to a 9-4 overall record, and a 5-1 mark in conference play to take second place in the GLVC. Lindenwood finished third in the NCAA Regional, and entered the 2020 NCAA National Championships ranked seventh in the country.
The Lions tallied three first-place finishes at the Maryville Open, while 10 others earned a place of sixth or better. Tanner Hitchcock earned two pins and a 4-2 sudden victory over Marcus Povlik of McKendree to take the 133-pound title. Gavin Londoff claimed the lone championship for the Lions at the Missouri Valley Open. In the nine dual victories, the Lions outscored their opponents by an average of 34.7 to 6.9.
With seven national qualifiers, the Lions were prepared for a championship run. The 2020 NCAA National Championships was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ending the season. Lindenwood closed out the season ranked No. 7 in the country, after spending 17 weeks ranked inside the top-10. The Lions placed seven wrestlers on the NWCA Division II Scholar All-American team, including national qualifiers Hitchcock and Smith.
The Lions claimed five NWCA All-Americans (Tanner Hichcock, Carlos Jacquez, Courvoisier Morrow, Abner Romero, and Colby Smith). Hithcock and Smith were named first-team All-GLVC, as Smith posted a perfect 13-0 record in his matches. Lindenwood compiled a total of eight all-conference selections.
In the 2018-19 season, Lindenwood made history by placing seventh at the 2019 NCAA Division II National Championships in Cleveland, Ohio. Smith played a big part in the Lions sending seven wrestlers to the national tournament after taking second place at the NCAA Regional.
The Lions compiled three All-Americans, including Carlos Jacquez who won the national championship at 125 pounds in his perfect 30-0 season. Danny Swan and Gavin Londoff each earned All-American honors after placing in the top-six in their respective weight classes.
The Lions had their best finish at the Midwest Classic in December, placing third out of 39 teams. Jacquez won the 125-pound weight class, as he was one of five wrestlers to place at the tournament, the most in program history. Lindenwood registered seven dual victories over ranked opponents, including a one-point victory over then-No. 4 Pitt-Johnstown in early January.
In his second season on staff, the Lions went 6-6 in duals including a 2-3 mark in conference matches. In post-season play, Lindenwood took fourth at the MIAA Tournament and fifth at the NCAA Division II Super Regional. Smith helped advance three wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, including Carlos Jacquez who would later be named All-American.
The Lions excelled in the classroom as well by having seven wrestlers earn all-academic recognition by the NWCA. Lindenwood had a cumulative GPA of 3.15, while Hunter Haralson was the first Lion in program history to earn all-academic recognition for all four years. Smith also helped 15 wrestlers earn MIAA Academic Honor Roll, while Austin Stofer earned the Academic Award for Excellence as well as being named Scholar Athlete.
In 2016-17, Lindenwood finished third in the MIAA regular season and tournament championship event. Five Lions placed at the conference event, including MIAA championships for Hunter Haralson and David Hamil. Kyle Jolas finished second at the NCAA Super Regionals, and advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championships.
Smith helped the Lions have a big improvement in the classroom. Seventeen wrestlers were named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll, and Tim Bogar received the MIAA Academic Excellence Award.
Smith served as a graduate assistant on the wrestling staff in the spring of 2016. Prior to is arrival in St. Charles, Mo., Smith was a graduate assistant at Ouachita Baptist in the fall of 2015.
Smith was a four-time All-American at Ouachita Baptist and placed sixth at the NCAA Championships in 2012. Smith was the wrestler of the year for three-straight years after placing second as a sophomore, third as a junior, and won the national championship as a senior.
Smith graduated for Ouachita Baptist with a bachelor’s degree in pre-professional kinesiology. In 2018, Smith earned his MAT from Lindenwood University.
