June 14, 2008

Des Moines, Ia. - A mid-season leg injury did not keep Miles Smith from winning All-America honors for the fifth time with a sixth place finish in the NCAA 400-meter finals.

Smith, running in the eighth lane, was near the lead coming into the final curve, but fell behind going into a strong head wind down the stretch. Andretti Bain, the NCAA indoor champion, won the race in a time of 44.62 with Lionel Larry of USC second. Smith timed 45.67.

Running his last race for Southeast, Smith, the Redhawks record holder with a time of 45.16, showed spirit and toughness, but just could not overcome the remnants of the leg injury that affected his training since the |May 3 hamstring injury during the Ohio Valley Conference championships.

"It was a courageous performance by Miles," said retiring Southeast head coach Joey Haines. "To come back from an injury and still place sixth in the nation is a tremendous achievement."

Smith, who was also sixth at the NCAA indoor championships, will compete in the Olympic Trials, June 27 to July 6 in Eugene, Oregon. He was sixth at the USA Track & Field Championships in 2005 when he was selected represent the U.S.in the 2005 World Championships.