Smith Gears Up for NCAA Track and Field Finals

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UNI Track and Field at 2018 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Eugene, Oregon | Hayward Field

June 6-9, 2018
Jacob Smith 400 hurdles semifinal: 8:30 p.m. CT Wednesday
ESPN2 coverage starts at 6:30 p.m. CT

QUALIFIERS | START LISTS | RESULTS

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Jacob Smith heads to the 400-meter hurdle semifinals of the national track and field championships with the fastest time in his career.

"The belief in himself is now where it needs to be in order to take it to that next level and be an All-American type athlete," said head coach Dave Paulsen. "You have to have a certain belief in yourself that you can get it done against the best competition. I think that, more than anything, has changed from last year as a freshman is just understanding that he belongs in this group against those guys. So I'm excited to see what he can do."

Smith edged out teammate JoJo Frost at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships to earn his first MVC title in the event. His prelim time set a facility record at the Indiana State track. He broke that again in the finals with a time of 50.69 seconds.

"I am at the top of my game right now and keep improving and keep bettering myself," Smith said. "And I still have two years left after this, so hopefully I can just keep getting better."

Seeded 16^th at the West Preliminary Rounds, Smith hit a career best time of 50.13 seconds to automatically qualify for the final rounds of the national championships set in Eugene this week.

Smith ranks No. 2 on UNI's all-time list, just behind former NCAA champion Joey Woody.

"His consistency has been really, really strong," Paulsen said. "So anytime you can be consistent, the big one is coming. Jacob is probably one of the most competitive people I know. That's what you want. You want to have someone who steps on that line, get in the blocks and just wants to beat the guy next to him really bad. And that is exactly what he does every time out. The competitive effort is through the roof with him, and that gives him a lot of edge against guys."

Smith is seeded No. 10 right now among the 24 competitors set to compete this week.

"He definitely has the ability to go after that sub-50 second barrier in the 400 hurdles, and that's fast," Paulsen said. "No matter where you're at, that's going to be one of the fastest times out there."

The top two finishers of the three heats and the next two fastest times will go on to compete in the finals set for 8:57 p.m. Friday.

Smith is a sophomore from Burlington, Iowa. He is a graduate of Notre Dame High School.

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