UA Fort Smith Athletics

          Jason Merritt begins begins his second season as an assistant coach after serving as the program's first head coach for two seasons.
            A native of Rogers, Ark., Merritt has more than 20 years of experience in endurance and cross country running, ranging from the 800-meter dash to the marathon. He is certified as a Level II USA track and field coach specializing in endurance events.
            He has competed at the national level in the pentathlon in Oshkosh, Wis. He is a two-time winner of the “Fastest Coach in New Mexico” Award at the annual Coach’s Mile held in Fort Sumner, N.M.
            Merritt is U.S. Army Master Fitness trained and has served as head coach for company-, battalion- and post-level Army running teams, as well as junior high- and high school-level track and cross country teams. He has served as the officer in charge of the physical fitness programs for platoon- and company-level active duty Army units.
            He has served as a physical fitness evaluator for all incoming U.S. Army ROTC officers for the 1998 cycle and received the Presidential Sports Award for running in 1993, 2000, and 2003.
            A graduate of Rogers High School, Merritt earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Arkansas and a master’s degree in business administration from Embry-Riddle University.
            Merritt joined the UA Fort Smith staff as a technical instructor in the electronics department of the College of Applied Science and Technology in the fall of 2008.
            Prior to that, he was principal and head cross country and track coach at Gateway Christian School in Roswell, N.M. for four years. There he supervised 12 teachers in the junior high and high school while managing all disciplinary issues, teaching honors chemistry, trigonometry, physics and calculus and coaching track and cross country.
            Before joining the staff at Gateway Christian School, Merritt was a general store manager for Home Depot in Roswell, N.M., where he oversaw a staff of assistant managers, department managers and hourly employees as well as being responsible for inventory and profit and loss for the multi-million dollar per year store.
            Merritt also is an Army veteran, earning the rank of captain during his four years of service. During that time, he was company commander of the headquarters and the headquarters company of the Material Management Center in Fort Irwin, Calif. 
            Merritt and his wife, Monica, live in Greenwood and have two children – Joshua and Elizabeth.