North Carolina
Central University
TRACK & FIELD
The Official Web Site of the North
Carolina Central University "Eagle" Athletics Department
JASON
SMOOTS
NCCU Men's Track & Field
Hometown: Gadsden, Alabama
Born: July 13, 1980
Height: 6 feet, 0 inches Weight: 187 pounds (as
of Fall 2002)
*** 2001 NCAA DIVISION II NATIONAL CHAMPION - 55-METER
DASH
*** 2001 NCAA DIVISION II NATIONAL CHAMPION - 100-METER
DASH
*** 2002 NCAA DIVISION II NATIONAL CHAMPION - 60-METER
DASH
*** 2002 NCAA DIVISION II NATIONAL CHAMPION - 100-METER
DASH
*** 2002 NCAA DIVISION II NATIONAL CHAMPION - 4x100-METER
RELAY (OUTDOOR)
*** 2003 NCAA DIVISION II NATIONAL CHAMPION - 60-METER
DASH
*** EIGHT-TIME NCAA ALL-AMERICAN
As a Freshman (1999-2000)
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Ran for All-Conference honors at the 2000 CIAA Indoor Track &
Field Championships (Arthur Ashe Center, Richmond, VA) by placing second
in the men's 55-meter dash with a time of 6.28. (Feb. 11, 2000)
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Earned All-America honors by placed third in the men's 55-meter
dash with a time of 6.32 at the 2000 NCAA Division II Indoor Track Championships
at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston. Advanced to the
finals by posting his fastest time of the indoor season (6.25) in the preliminary
round. (March 11, 2000)
-
Placed third in the 100 meter dash with a time of 10.60 to earn All-America
honors at the 2000 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships
at Paul Derr Track in Raleigh, NC. (May 27, 2000)
-
Posted his best time of the outdoor season (10.45) at the NCCU "Last Chance"
Eagle Classic (May, 10, 2000)
As a Sophomore (2000-01)
-
Captured first place and Conference Championship honors with a time
of 6.25 in the men's 55-meter dash at the 2001 CIAA Indoor Track and Field
Championship at the Freeman Center on the campus of Christopher Newport
University. (February 9, 2001)
-
Won the men's 55-meter dash with a time of 6.26 to claim individual National
Champion honors at the 2001 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field
Championships at the Reggie Lewis Track in Boston. (March 10, 2001) Posted
the fastest time during the two preliminary heats with a 6.24 (season-best)
to advance to the finals.
-
Crowned Most Outstanding Track Athlete of the 2001 CIAA Outdoor
Track & Field Championships at NC Central in Durham. He earned two
individual conference champion honors by running to victory in the 100m
dash (10.47) and 200m dash (21.24). (April 21, 2001)
-
Ran his fastest time of the season (10.31) to win the National Championship
of the 100-meter dash at the 2001 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track &
Field Championships at Ralph Korte Stadium on the campus of Southern Illinois
University-Edwardsville. (May 26, 2001)
As a Junior (2001-02)
-
Captured first place in the men's 60-meter dash at the Christopher Newport
University Lid-Lifter Indoor Track & Field Invitational with an NCAA
Division II automatic qualifying time of 6.62, the world's fastest mark
of the season at the time. (December 8, 2001)
-
Repeated as Conference Champion in the men's 55-meter dash with
a winning time of 6.25 at the 2002 CIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
at the Freeman Center on the campus of Christopher Newport University.
He was also voted as co-Most Outstanding Male Track Athlete of the
championships. (February 7, 2002)
-
Placed second in a photo-finish of the men's 60-meter dash at the USA Track
& Field Championships in New York, NY. Smoots' time of 6.557 was just
0.005 seconds behind the winner Terrence Trammell, a silver medalist at
the Sydney Olympics and two-time gold medalist at the USA indoor championships.
Two-time U.S. champ Jon Drummond was third with a time of 6.57. (March
2, 2002)
-
Selected as the 2002 Southeast Region Indoor Track Male Athlete of the
Year. (March 8, 2002)
-
Successfully defended his indoor National Championship by winning
the men's 60-meter dash with a time of 6.66 seconds at the 2002 NCAA Division
II Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Reggie Lewis Center in
Boston. Smoots did not finish behind a collegiate runner during the indoor
season. (March 9, 2002)
-
Again proves himself as the fastest man in the CIAA by repeating as the
Conference
Champion in the 100m dash with a time of 10.33. Smoots also ran a blazing
anchor leg of the 4x100m relay, taking the stick in fourth place and charging
the Eagles to second place in a photo finish. (April 20, 2002)
-
Wins two National Championships on the final day of the 2002 NCAA
Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Angelo State University
in San Angelo, Texas. First as the anchor leg of the 4x100-meter relay,
which put together their best time of the season (39.88) for an upset victory
over favorites Fort Hays State (39.95) and Abilene Christian (40.02). Then
Smoots, who was wearing a ribbon in memory of his grandmother, Elma Ager,
who passed away earlier in the week, repeated as the national champion
in the 100m dash with a career-best time of 10.07. (May 25, 2002)
-
Advanced to semifinals of the 100-meter dash at the 2002 USA Outdoor
Track & Field Championships at Stanford University in Palo Alto,
California, but did not qualify for Saturday's final. Smoots posted a first
round time of 10.44 to qualify for the semifinals later that evening. He
then ran along side world record holder Maurice Greene and defending USA
outdoor 100m champion Tim Montgomery in the second heat of the semifinals,
but his time of 10.33 fell shy of the mark to advance to the finals. (June
21, 2002)
-
Set a meet record in the finals of the 100-meter dash with a winning
time of 10.22 at the 2002 POWERade North America, Central America and Caribbean
(NACAC) Under-25 Track & Field Championships at E.M. Stevens Stadium
on the campus of Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Smoots' also
posted the second-fastest time of the weekend with a 10.28 in the preliminaries.
He then ran the second leg of the victorious 4x100m relay team, with USA
(39.79) narrowly defeating the squad from the Bahamas (39.81). (August
9-10, 2002)
-
Won the 100-meter dash invitational representing Team USA at the 2002
Norwich Union Challenge (USA vs. Great Britain vs. Russia) at Scotstoun
Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland. He blew away the field with a time of 10.38
on a cold, wet and windy day, finishing more than three-tenths of a second
ahead of USA teammate Tom Green (10.69), who placed second. (August 18,
2002)
As a Senior (2002-03)
-
Added a gold medal to his long list of accomplishments after Team USA's
4x100-meter relay squad captured first place at the 2002 IAAF (International
Association of Athletics Foundation) World Cup on Friday (Sept. 20)
in Madrid, Spain at La Comunidad Stadium. He ran the second leg of the
4x100m relay, which won with a time of 37.95, a new track record and just
over a half-second off the world record mark of 37.40 set by the USA Olympic
Team in Barcelona on Aug. 8, 1992. Smoots received the baton from Jon Drummond
and handed off to Kaaron Conwright, who then passed the stick to anchor
Coby Miller. The Americas finished second with a time of 38.32, and Africa
placed third in 38.63. (Held every four years, the World
Cup is the IAAF's only team-scoring event in track and field. Using a points-based
format of team competition, the World Cup pits Team USA against five continental
squads from Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe and Oceania. Germany, Spain,
Great Britain's men and Russia's women also field teams.)
-
During an NCCU football haltime presentation, Mayor Bill Bell proclaims
October 26, 2002, "Jason Smoots Day" in the City of Durham. (Oct.
26, 2002)
-
Served as the Grand Marshal for North Carolina Central University's
2002 Homecoming festivities. (Nov. 2, 2002)

-
Graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Parks and Recreation
from North Carolina Central University during commencement exercises on
Dec. 13, 2002.
-
Defeated Allen Johnson, a gold medalist at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta,
en route to a first place finish in the 60-meter dash during the Tar Heel
Classic hosted by the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Smoots
posted a season-best time of 6.66 to edge Johnson's 6.70 in the finals.
(Jan. 25, 2003)
-
Settled for a second place finish in the 60-meter dash behind Terrence
Trammell, 2000 Olympic silver medalist and 2002 USA indoor 60m champion,
on the final day of the Niswonger Foundation Invitational hosted by East
Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN. After posting the fastest
time of the 60m preliminaries with a 6.67, Smoots' time of 6.66 was just
shy of Trammell's winning time of 6.61. (Feb. 1, 2003)
-
Captured his third-consecutive individual title at the 2003 CIAA
Indoor Track & Field Championships at Christopher Newport University's
Freeman Center in Newport News, VA. Smoots ran to victory in the 60-meter
dash with a time of 6.80. (Feb. 9, 2003)
-
Set a new meet record en route to a 60-meter dash victory at the
2003 Armory Invitational in New York, NY. Smoots posted a winning time
of 6.69 in the University Division to break the old standard of 6.88 by
Machel Morrison of Lafayette on Feb. 9, 2002. (Feb. 15, 2003)
-
Placed fourth in the 60-meter dash at the 2003 USA Indoor Track Championships
at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center in Boston, MA. Smoots posted
his fastest time of the indoor season (6.54) as the only collegiate
athlete to advance into the 60m finals. (March 1, 2003)

-
Etched his name in the history books on March 15, 2003 by winning the men's
60-meter dash at the 2003 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships
at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, becoming the first three-time
winner of the indoor sprint in Division II history (dating back to
1985). Smoots also improved upon his NCAA meet record by posting
a time of 6.55 seconds, his second-fastest finish of the season. (March
15, 2003)
Named the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Men's Indoor Track
Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year, as selected by
the U.S. Track Coaches Association (March 17, 2003).
-
Edged Dabryan Blanton of Oklahoma to win the college men's 100-meter dash
at the 109th Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, PA. After running
stride-for-stride much of the race, Smoots pulled away from Blanton at
the tape with each receiving identical times of 10.44 seconds. Smoots is
the
first Eagle to win the 100m dash at the prestigious Penn Relays. Smoots
then ran anchor for NCCU in the college men's 4x100m relay, taking the
stick behind the pack and charging the Eagles into third place with a time
of 40.46 seconds. (April 26, 2003)
-
Presented with the 2003 NCAA Division II Male Outdoor Track Athlete
of the Year award during a banquet at the national championship event
in Edwardsville, Illinois. (May 22, 2003)
-
Signed a three-year endorsement contract with shoe giant Nike on Tuesday
(July 29, 2003) that, in the sprinter's words, left him "very, very pleased."
[Herald-Sun Story]
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Last Revised: August 1, 2003 |