Of the St. Louis American
It was only two years ago that Miles Smith was competing for Riverview Gardens High in the Missouri Class 4 state track and field championships in Jefferson City.
Smith was a solid performer for the Rams, who won the 4×200-meter relay state title and finished third in the 4×400. Smith finished fourth in the open 400-meter dash in a decent time of 49.05 seconds. Smith was good, but not spectacular.
The king of court on that day was Jefferson City star Domenik Peterson, who became the first Missouri athlete ever to break the 47-second mark in the 400. Peterson ended up at Arizona State, where he is currently ranked as one of the best in the 200, 400 and as a member of the Sun Devils’ relay teams.
However, Peterson is not the only athlete from the Show-Me State to make a splash on the national scene. That same Miles Smith who was a low-profile solid performer at “The View” has now become Miles Smith, a world class performer and Olympic hopeful in 2008. Anyone who followed track in Missouri expected Peterson to become a star at the next level, but few could have forecasted that Smith would surpass him in just two years.
After graduation, Smith took his talent and vast potential to Southeast Missouri State in Cape Girardeau. At the end of his sophomore year, Smith is now among the best in the United States at 400 meters. To be listed among the best in this country at 400 meters is quite an achievement considering the history of dominance that the USA has enjoyed in this event.
Smith’s meteoric rise continued last weekend when he competed at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Nationals in Carson, Calif. Smith finished in sixth place in a field that included Olympic gold medalist Jeremy Wariner and NCAA champion Donald Williamson. The top four finishers in the race ran a time under 45 seconds, so the competition was hot.
Although Smith did not earn a spot on the USA team in the 400 for the IAAF World Championships in August, he may have a chance to go as a alternate on the 4×400-meter relay team.
The opportunity to compete at the USA Nationals has been the culmination of what has been a whirlwind season for Smith, who has blossomed at SEMO under the guidance of veteran coach Joey Haines.
When he recruited Smith out of Riverview, Haines knew he was getting a diamond in the rough with plenty of potential. In the past two years, Smith has grown in stature to a full 6’3″ and he has avoided the injury bug that plagued him throughout his high school days.
Now, Smith has single-handedly put SEMO back on the national track map by becoming an NCAA All-American with one sterling performance after another.
Smith’s career seems to be following a similar path to another St. Louisan, Ray Armstead, who came out of relative obscurity to become an Olympic gold medalist. Armstead was an excellent performer at Northwest High who became an NCAA Division II All-American at Northeast Missouri State (now Truman State) in the 400. He came to the 1984 Olympic Trials as an unknown, but earned a spot on the 4×400 relay team that won a gold medal that summer in Los Angeles. Does this sound familiar?
Smith has dominated the Ohio Valley Conference for the past two years. He won both the indoor and outdoor championships in the 400 and as a member SEMO’s 4×400 relay team. He was named the OVC’s Male Athlete of the Year in 2005 for track. At one point in the season, Smith was ranked No. 1 in the nation in the 400.
Smith took another giant leap towards greatness when he won the 400 at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships in Bloomington, Ind. He defeated a talented field which included LSU’s Kelly Willie, who won an Olympic gold medal as an alternate on the USA’s 4×400 at Athens. Smith’s winning time of 45.16 seconds was also a school record.
The regional title qualified Smith for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Sacramento. Smith finished fifth in the 400 to become SEMO’s first All-American since McCluer’s Terrance Branch accomplished the feat in the mid-1980’s. His strong finish at the NCAA meet also qualified him for the USA Nationals.
The best part about Smith is that he has two more years to develop at the collegiate level and further enhance his growing stature as one of the best 400-meter performers in the world. If he stays healthy, Smith could be a major factor by the time the 2008 Olympic Trials roll around.
Several other athletes from the St. Louis area also competed at last weekend’s USA National Championships. Former East St. Louis star Dawn Harper competed in the 100-meter high hurdles, finishing eighth. Harper just completed her junior year at UCLA where she finished third in the 100-meter hurdles at the NCAA meet. She is now a three-time collegiate All-American.
Former Rockwood Marquette star Amarachi Ukabam competed in both the shot put and discus in California. She finished eighth in the discus and 10th in the shot put. Ukabam will be a junior at Southern Illinois University.
Former Webster Groves star Tim Rusan finished seventh in the triple jump. A former USA National indoor champion in the event, Rusan struggled as he scratched on four of his six attempts. Rusan narrowly missed a spot on the 2004 Olympic team.
For those who remember former Kansas City Central star Muna Lee, she is still going strong. She finished second in the 100 to qualify for the World Championships in Finland. Lee also finished fifth in the 200. A former All-American at LSU, Lee was an Olympic finalist in the 200.
