La Crosse, Wis. –
Kai Smith of the Salisbury University Track & Field program claimed two National Championships on the final day of the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Roger Harring Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex, hosted by The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Smith took home the 100-meter and 200-meter National Championships within 70 minutes of each other.
Smith, the senior from Upper Marlboro, Md., first claimed the 200-meter title with a school record time of 20.42. This time went on to be the third fastest 200-meter time in NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship history. His Championship time of 20.42 also marks the fourth fastest time by any runner in Division III history at any meet.
Just 70 minutes later, Smith claimed the 100-meter National Title with another school record time of 10.14. This time tallied the second fastest time in the history of Division III NCAA Outdoor Championships, just .01 off the record. It also sits as the 5th fastest time in NCAA Division III history by any runner at any meet.
This is the third year in a row that Smith has made it into the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships, and he will finish his stellar Sea Gull career as a two-time National Champion. He wraps up his senior campaign as a two-time Indoor All-American, Coast-to-Coast Male Athlete of the Year, led his team to a C2C Conference Championship, and now finishes as a National Champion.
"It's honestly such a surreal feeling, you dream of it as a kid and a competitor, training on days no one sees, and now just seeing it all come true is just such a surreal feeling," Smith said. "Coach asked me after my junior year how I wanted to be remembered, and that fueled me through the summer and fall. Now it has all come true, and it means everything to come out on top as a senior."
"So proud of both of our athletes at this year's Championship," head coach
Jim Jones said. "Kai winning two events and Mia earning First Team All-American is incredible, the effort these two have put into getting where they are today is remarkable and just a testament to the culture of our program. Kai has established his legacy as a Sea Gull in his final performances, which is well earned. Also, the coaching staff, Coach Kay, Jacob, and Zak
, I am thankful this staff is here to help elevate this program day in and day out."
PHOTOS
PRESS CONFERENCE
CHAMPIONSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
With the two National Championships from Smith, the Salisbury Track & Field program now has 20 individual National Titles, with the last coming from Salisbury's all-time great,
Luke Campbell, 10 years ago in 2016. Also with the two National Titles, Smith helped the Sea Gull men's Track & Field program finish 8th in the country at the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's 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 won a combined 23 team national championships, 26 individual national championships, and 211 conference championships, and have produced 54 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit
SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
