DES MOINES, Iowa - Former Monmouth University All-American and U.S. National Champion Bobby Smith will compete in the javelin event at the U.S. Championships at Drake University this weekend. The U.S. National Championships will be held from June 23-27 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
Smith, a native of Hopatcong, NJ who now lives in Bradley Beach, has competed in three meets so far in 2010. Throwing for Nike this year, Smith opened up at the 2010 Tucson Elite Throws Classic on May 23 with a winning throw of 73.69 meters (241'9"). He was also one of the top finishers at the second Montana Elite Invitational at the University of Montana on June 6. Then on June 12, Smith was invited to the Adidas Grand Prix meet at Icahn Stadium in New York, where he threw against the best in the world in a meet that was part of the prestigious IAAF Diamond League series this year.
"It is a big challenge to stay in the sport and continue competing at a high level after college, and Bobby has done that very well for the last four years," said Monmouth head coach Joe Compagni. "He has been training very hard and has a great opportunity this weekend to keep his javelin career moving forward."
Last summer, Smith finished eighth at the U.S. Championships with a throw of 235' 1.25". In 2008, Smith was one of the biggest surprises at the U.S. Olympic Trials at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field, when he came in ranked 10th but left as the U.S. National Champion winning the Olympic Trials javelin with a personal best of 249' 06" (76.06m).
The 2006 Monmouth graduate became the fourth All-American in school track and field history in 2005, throwing 229'7" to finish in fifth place at NCAA's. Smith claimed a pair of Northeast Conference javelin titles, and also won an IC4A Title, and still owns the Monmouth school record of 240'8".
Smith's win at the Olympic Trials in 2008 earned him an invitation to train at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in California in 2009. This year, he has been training at Monmouth University under the guidance of MU volunteer assistant coach Garry Calvert of Australia and Monmouth throws coach Abraham Flores.
He is ranked ninth in the U.S. so far this year, and is one of 18 men in the country to exceed the 2010 qualifying standard of 72.00 m (236'3").
Smith will compete on Saturday at noon (1 PM EST).
Live results and updates from the Championships can be found at www.usatf.org
The meet will be on TV as follows:
The third event of the 2010 USATF Outdoor Visa Championship Series, the 2010 USA Outdoor Championships will be televised on the following dates (All times Eastern):
June 25 - 8:00 - 10 p.m. on ESPN
June 26 - 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. on ESPN
June 26 - 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. on NBC
June 27 - 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. on ESPN
June 27 - 3:00 - 4 p.m. on NBC
USATF will partner with RunnerSpace (www.runnerspace.com) to provide real-time coverage of all events not broadcast on television beginning on Wednesday, June 23.
