June 22, 2010
NORMAL, Ill. -
For Illinois State freshman Brittany Smith, the 2010 season must feel like the longest competitive one she has ever endured. However, it has also been the most successful for the Redbird thrower and she will continue that run at the 2010 USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships, June 23-27, at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
Fresh off an appearance at the 2010 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships earlier in the month, Smith heads into USA Junior Championships qualified to compete in the shot put, hammer throw and discus competitions. To be eligible to compete at the USA Junior Championships, athletes must be at least 14 years old on the day of competition, but not turn 20 years old during 2010 and must have met the qualifying standard set for the event.
"As it stands now, Brittany is ranked No. 1 in the shot put, No. 3 in the hammer throw and No. 7 in the discus heading into the meet," ISU throws coach Erik Whitsitt said. "We are very excited for Brittany and feel she has a great opportunity to qualify for the World Junior Championships in Canada in July. If she does that, she will have the privilege to compete against the best athletes in the world and represent her country, which is an experience she will never forget."
Smith placed 19th in the discus at the NCAA Championships with a mark of 150'09" (45.96m). The Oak Park, Ill., native earned her spot in the NCAA Championships with a sixth-place finish at the West Region Preliminary Round in Austin, Texas, where she competed in the shot put and hammer throw events. Smith recorded personal-best efforts in both the shot put (52'05.25") and discus (170'02") at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships to earn All-Valley honors in both events and recorded 16 top-three finishes throughout the season in the discus, shot put and hammer throw combined.
"I'm very excited about the competition this weekend," Smith said. "It's been a very long season, probably the longest of my career, but this meet will be a little different because I will be competing against people my own age. Throughout the season, I competed against the best throwers in the country, including Jeneva McCall from Southern Illinois, who was a national champion. Being able to see what they can do at the highest level of competition at the NCAA Championships has made me realize I am capable of a lot more. The wow factor is gone for me at high-caliber meets like this one, so now I just need to focus and throw the way I know I can."
Smith is scheduled to compete in her best event, the shot put, Thursday June 24 at approximately 2:30 p.m. and will then come back later that evening to compete in the hammer throw competition at 5:30 p.m. She will round out the championships Friday, June 25, with the discus competition scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. If Smith finishes in the top two in any of the events, she will move on to compete at the 13th IAAF World Junior Championships July 19-25 in Moncton, Canada.
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