Kyle E Serba 05/12/10
NCCU’s Smoots Only Three-Time Indoor Sprint National Champion in NCAA Division II History
DID
YOU KNOW? North Carolina Central University sprinter Jason Smoots is the
only student-athlete in NCAA Division II track & field history to win
three consecutive indoor sprint national championships.A native of Gadsden, Ala., Smoots won his first national title in the 55-meter dash on March 10, 2001, with a time of 6.26 seconds. The NCAA replaced that sprint event with the 60-meter dash the following year, which Smoots won again to repeat as national champion. He made history as a senior by capturing his third consecutive indoor sprint national title on March 15, 2003, winning the 60m dash with a meet record time of 6.55 seconds.
During his standout NCCU career from 1999-2003, Smoots collected six national championships and eight all-America citations, while being named the NCAA Division II Male Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year in 2003.
In recognition of his outstanding career achievements, Mayor Bill Bell proclaimed Oct. 26, 2002, as “Jason Smoots Day” in the City of Durham, N.C.
As part of North Carolina Central University's Centennial celebration, the NCCU Department of Athletics will post sports history facts from the institution's first 100 years to its official web site every week during the year-long observance.