MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – After a long weather delay pushed his race back three hours later than originally scheduled, an unfazed
Kai Smith of the Salisbury University men's track and field team turned in the best championship finish for a Sea Gull athlete in six years. Smith took fourth place in the finals of the men's 200 meters at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships on Saturday night at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium.
From the second of eight lanes, Smith, a sophomore from Upper Marlboro, Md. who also celebrated his 20th birthday on Saturday, tore out of the starting blocks and crossed the finish line in 21.18 seconds, edging out Wisconsin-La Crosse's Luke Schroeder by seven-hundredths of a second to claim a spot in the top half of an upperclass-laden finals field that was rounded out by five juniors and two seniors.
Sam Blaskowski of UW-La Crosse won the 200-meter national championship in a time of 20.63 seconds, while Gallaudet's Eric Gregory (20.70) took the silver and Bethel (Minn.)'s Jacob Parent (21.05) the bronze.
The fourth-place finish exceeded the expectations around Smith, who was seeded fifth in the 200 meters entering the championship meet and qualified in sixth place during Thursday's preliminary races. By taking fourth, he brings home Salisbury's best individual finish in a championship meet since
Duncan Ferrin slotted third in the hammer throw at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Nationals.
Smith becomes the 80th All-American in Sea Gull track and field history and third in the 200 meters in program history (
Jeff Polk '75,
Delannie Spriggs '10). His first career All-America nod caps a sensational indoor and outdoor slate that saw him win four Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) outdoor gold medals and a Penn Relays championship, take home C2C Outdoor Track Athlete of the Meet, and break three school records plus a conference and conference championship meet record.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 199 conference championships, and 45 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
