March 11, 2011
NORMAL, Ill. - With a school record in the shot put (54-05.25) at the Last Qualifier Meet on March 5, Brittany Smith is ready to compete at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in the event and will compete Saturday in College Station, Texas, on the campus of Texas A&M.
Smith earned her spot in the NCAA Indoor Championships with a third-place finish in the shot put with a personal-best throw of 54-05.25 at the NCAA Qualifier Meet in Ames, Iowa. That mark currently ranks her 17th in the field of 21. The Oak Park, Ill., native recorded personal-best efforts and school records in both the shot put and weight throw during the 2011 indoor season. The sophomore thrower accomplished the feat in the weight throw (65-01.50) at the Keck Invitational (Feb. 5) and recorded 13 top-three finishes throughout the season in the shot put and weight throw combined.
This marks the first time Smith has qualified for the indoor championships, but she is no stranger to post-season championships. Smith qualified for the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships as a freshman in the discus with a throw of 169-00.00 and a sixth-place finish at the West Regional. After the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Smith advanced on to the USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the shot put, hammer throw and discus competitions and ended her successful season at the World Junior Championships in Canada.
Smith will compete in the shot put Saturday, March 12, at 3:45 p.m., beginning with a trials round which will be followed by a final round. Fans can watch a live webcast from the NCAA Championships on NCAA.com from noon-4:55 p.m. and EPSN3.com from 5-7:50 p.m.
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