ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College senior
Jerahmia Smith delivered when it mattered most Thursday, placing third in the men's shot put at the 74th annual NAIA Men's Outdoor Track and Field National Championships at Karl Straus Track.
Smith saved his best throw for his sixth and final attempt, launching a mark of 16.95 meters (55 feet, 7.5 inches) to secure third place nationally and earn All-American honors for the Pomeroys.
The performance came after a weather delay of approximately three hours interrupted the event in the middle of the third round. Smith remained composed through the delay and returned to the ring to close the competition with his best mark of the day.
Smith entered the national meet seeded third in the NAIA and matched that position on the final leaderboard, finishing behind national champion Lamar Gordon of McPherson, who threw 18.31 meters, and runner-up Cameron Montgomery of Columbia International, who posted a mark of 17.20 meters.
Smith's third-place finish earned six team points for SMWC and marked another national podium performance in a standout season. He also earned All-American honors during the indoor season, placing fifth in the shot put at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships with a mark of 16.66 meters.
Thursday's appearance marked Smith's fourth consecutive NAIA national championship appearance and his second straight trip to the outdoor national meet. He placed 11th at last year's NAIA Outdoor National Championships in Marion, Indiana, with a throw of 16.43 meters.
Smith was dominant throughout the outdoor season, winning the shot put in five of his six meets leading into nationals. His season-best mark of 17.03 meters came April 11 at the Greenville Select Meet, where he won the event and moved into the top tier of the NAIA rankings.
He also won the shot put at the '26 Early Bird Invitational, Fightin' Engineers Spring Classic, 121st Annual Indiana Little State Championships and River States Conference Championships. Smith captured the RSC title May 1-2 with a throw of 16.69 meters.
Smith closed his outdoor season as one of the top throwers in the country, finishing third on the national stage and adding another All-American performance to his SMWC résumé.
