Track and Field

Asia Smith Finishes Fifth in Heptathlon at MW Championships

Asia Smith Finishes Fifth in Heptathlon at MW ChampionshipsAsia Smith Finishes Fifth in Heptathlon at MW Championships


May 10, 2018

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Championship Central | Day Two Results | Full Heptathlon Results

CLOVIS, Calif. -- Asia Smith wrapped up the second day of the heptathlon Thursday evening, earning a fifth place finish at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships at Veteran's Memorial Stadium in Clovis, Calif. Smith, a freshman from Escondido, Calif., finished with a personal best 5,100 points and earned four crucial points for the Aztecs, who are seeking their fourth MW Outdoor Championship in the past six years.

"I feel absolutely amazing about how I ended my freshman season," Smith explained. "I had a really rough start this year, being my first year competing in multis. I wanted to compete as best I could and score some points for my team and I did!"

"I am extremely proud of Asia for her performance these past two days," Head Coach Shelia Burrell stated. "This is only her second time ever doing the heptathlon and she went over 5,000 points while still learning how to do some of the events."

Smith's leap of 19' 2" in the long jump, earned her second place. She bested her previous best mark by an incredible nine inches.

"I wasn't surprised about the long jump because I knew I had it in me to break 19 inches," Smith said. "As I was on the runway, I told myself that it was going to happen today, and I'm so glad it did."

"She did what Aztecs do during championships," Burrell explained. "She stepped up for the team and put more points on the board than we expected."

Smith, who was one of just two freshmen competing in the heptathlon, finished in tenth in the javelin throw with a mark of 85' 9", her second best distance of the season.

In her final event, the 800 meter run, Smith had another tenth place finish, clocking in at 2:33.78.

The Aztecs are tied for seventh place entering the third day of the Championships. They received four points from Smith, but didn't have any runners compete in the 10,000 meter run, which took place after the heptathlon.

UP NEXT

The rest of the Aztecs will begin to compete in the Mountain West Championships on Friday. There will be the finals for the shot put, long jump, and high jump. Lisa-Anne Barrow enters the meet with a conference best leap of 20' 9.25" in the long jump. There will also be the prelims for all track events. All events will be streamed live on FloTrack, which is available with a monthly subscription.

THE NOTE

Finishing just her second career heptathlon, Asia Smith ended up recording three personal bests -- the high jump, long jump and 800 meter run to finish with a personal best 5,110 points.

QUOTE OF THE MEET

I realized that it's all about having the mindset of a champion. This meet really boosted my confidence in the heptathlon and I'm so grateful to have Coach B right there by my side to help me reach my goals. The feeling is surreal - Asia Smith

Asia has a lot of promise in the heptathlon and today she showed a glimpse of what is to come as she develops. The best is yet to come. -Head Coach Shelia Burrell

2018 Mountain West Outdoor Championships

May 10, 2018 -- Day Two

Clovis, Calif.

Veteran's Memorial Stadium

Overall Team Scores (Through two events)

1. New Mexico - 24

T-7. San Diego State - 4

Heptathlon Day Two

Overall Scores

1. Jestena Mattson (Fresno St.) -- 5511 points

5. Asia Smith (SDSU) - 5110 points *PR*

Long Jump

1. Jestena Mattson (Fresno St.) -- 19' 8.25"w (6.00m) (+3.2)

2. Asia Smith (SDSU) -- 19' 2" (5.84m) (+1.9) -- 801 points *PR*

Javelin Throw

1. Kyra Mohns (New Mexico) - 137' 6" (41.91m)

10. Asia Smith (SDSU) -- 85' 9" (26.15m) -- 404 points

800m

1. Kolbi Sims (San Jose St.) -- 2:18.72

10. Asia Smith (SDSU) -- 2:33.78 *PR* - 646 points

Day One Results -- May 9, 2018

100m Hurdles

1. Talie Bonds (Utah St.) -- 13.94 (+1.9)

5. Asia Smith (SDSU) - 14.36w (+2.3) - 928 points

High Jump

T-1. Asia Smith (SDSU) -- 5' 7.25" (1.71m) *PR* - 867 points

T-1. Nicola Ader (Nevada) -- 5' 7.25" (1.71m)

Shot Put

1. Stella Clemens (UNLV) -- 41' 1.5" (12.53m)

3. Asia Smith (SDSU) -- 38' 10.25" (11.84m) -- 651 points

200m Dash

1. Jestena Mattson (Fresno St.) -- 24.46w (+2.6)

7. Asia Smith (SDSU) -- 25.82w (+2.7) -- 813 points