National Athlete Of The Week Honors For Smith

SEATTLE – Sophomore sprinter Anthony Smith (Snoqualmie, Wash.) is the current NCAA leader in the 200-meter dash, and that quick run helped Smith win National Athlete of the Week honors today from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
 
Smith ran an indoor personal-best time of 21.28 seconds to win the Spokane Invitational last Saturday. It was the fifth-fastest mark in UW history and the fastest time since 2009. It’s currently the NCAA leader by .02 seconds, with the UW home opener still a month away.
 
Smith also ran on the winning 4x400m Husky relay, which set the facility record at The Podium in a time of 3:11.67. That ranks second in the very early NCAA standings. The relay also featured Cass Elliott, Daniel Gaik, and Matthew Wilkinson.
 
In his freshman season in the spring of 2022, Smith tied the UW freshman record in the 200-meters with a run of 20.70 outdoors at the UW-WSU Dual. He would place 28th at NCAA West Prelims in the event, then go on to make the World U20 Championships final, placing eighth overall, representing Turkey.
 
This is the second-straight season with a National Athlete of the Week award for the Dawgs, as the men’s distance medley relay collectively earned the honor last season, a relay that also featured Smith running the 400-meter leg.