Smith looking for her first indoor title

MANHATTAN, N.Y., February 10, 2008 – Kimona Smith secured her spot as one of the favorites for the MEAC Indoor Championship meet in the triple and long jumps.  The Aggies will compete in the MEAC Indoor Championships Feb. 15-16 in Landover, Md.

Smith competed against some of the best athletes in the world at the New Balance Collegiate Indoor Invitational and finished first in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump.

She finished with a jump of 40-feet, ½ inch leap in the triple jump and had a personal-best leap of 19-feet, 7-inches in the long jump. Smith, a sophomore out of St. Thomas, Jamaica, already has an outdoor long jump crown to her credit. She placed third in the triple jump and long jump at the MEAC indoor championships last season.   

“Even though she was having difficulty with her ankles, she made some outstanding jumps,’’ director of track programs Roy Thompson. “She can compete through injuries because she has a lot of skills and she is a great technician.”

Smith has not yet qualified provisionally for the NCAA Nationals. She is still a few inches short of accomplishing yet another feat in her young career. She owns the best MEAC triple jump distance of this season with a leap of 40-feet, 7 ½ inches set at the Penn State Indoor Invitational last week.

“She probably be an All-American before she leaves North Carolina A&T,’’ said Thompson. “I think she is the definite frontrunner in terms of winning the MEAC this year in the triple jump.”

Smith’s top competition could come from her own teammate. Brittany Dixson finished third in the triple jump at the New Balance Invitational with a jump of 39-feet, 10 ¾ inches. She owns the second best jump in the MEAC this season with a 39-foot, 9 ¾ inches leap at the Virginia Tech Invitational.

Other contenders for gold this weekend include junior Alexandria Spruiel. Spruiel finished sixth at the New Balance with a time of 54.62. She posted her best time of the season in the preliminaries with a time of 54.13.

On the men’s side, Calesio Newman had a fifth-place finish in the 60 meter dash with a season best run of 6.76. Although he finished eighth in the 200 at the New Balance, he had his best time of the season there as well – 21.57.

Junior Ron Buchanan also looks to capture more gold. Buchanan finished sixth at the New Balance with a jump of 49-feet, 4 ½ inches. Buchanan has the best jump of the season among MEAC competitors. He jumped 50-feet, 9 ½ inches at the Niswonger Invitational.

“We’re excited about what we’re bringing to Maryland this weekend,’’ said Thompson. “A good showing at the indoor championships will give us a lot of confidence going into the outdoor season.”