SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind. – Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College junior Jerahmia Smith has officially qualified for the 2026 NAIA Men's Indoor Track & Field National Championships in the shot put following the release of the final championship rosters and entry lists by the NAIA.

Smith punched his ticket to nationals with a school-record throw of 16.68 meters (54 feet, 8.75 inches) at the Rose-Hulman Classic on Jan. 31. The mark set a new Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College indoor shot put record and stands as his season-best performance.

The 2026 NAIA Men's Indoor Track & Field Championship, hosted by the Gainesville Sports Commission, will take place March 5–7 at the Alachua County Sports and Events Center at Celebration Pointe in Gainesville, Florida. The men's shot put will be on March 7 at 2:30 pm (ET). 

Record-Breaking Indoor Campaign
Smith has delivered one of the most consistent seasons in program history, eclipsing the 16-meter mark in every meet during the 2026 indoor season.

He opened the year with a 16.41m victory at the Fightin' Engineers Invitational (Dec. 6), followed by a 16.23m effort at the John Craft Invitational (Jan. 17) and a 16.52m throw at Friday Night Spikes #2 (Jan. 23). His school-record 16.68m came at Rose-Hulman, and he followed it with a 16.64m first-place finish at the Anderson Indoor Invite (Feb. 7).

At the River States Conference Indoor Championships (Feb. 20–21), Smith recorded a 16.47m throw to finish second overall, earning All-Conference honors and carrying momentum into the national meet.

Returning to the National Stage
This will be Smith's second consecutive appearance at the NAIA Indoor National Championships. In 2025, he placed 13th nationally with a throw of 15.95 meters.

Smith also competed at the 2025 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, finishing 11th in the nation with a mark of 16.43 meters in the shot put.

His progression from a 15.95m national indoor performance last season to a 16.68m school-record mark this year underscores his growth into one of the NAIA's top throwers.

Championship updates and live results will be available at SMWCAthletics.com.