RUSTON – Oscar Smith will look to become the second Bulldog to win a national championship at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships starting on Wednesday at Hayward Field on the campus of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon.
 
MEET INFORMATION
Meet: NCAA Championships
Host: NCAA | Oregon
Date:  Wednesday-Friday, June 11-14
Time: Wednesday: 110m Hurdles: 7:08 p.m.
Friday: 110m Hurdles 7:42 p.m.
Location: Hayward Field (Eugene, Ore.)
TV: Wednesday: ESPN
Friday: ESPN 2
Results: Live Results
Competing Teams: Top 24 qualifiers from the East and West Regionals
 
ABOUT OSCAR SMITH
Smith has cemented his name as one of the best hurdlers in the history of Louisiana Tech in just his first season in Ruston. The senior transfer holds eight marks inside the top 10 in the 60m hurdles and four in the 110m hurdles.
 
The Nassau, Bahamas, native started his Bulldog career by breaking the nearly 20-year-old record in the 60m hurdles. His mark of 7.74 at the Rod McCravy Memorial Invitational was over a tenth of a second faster than Nolan Jackson's record set on February 17, 2006, at the Western Athletic Conference Championship meet.
 
He would go on to have four more marks better than Jackson's, including breaking his own mark at the Conference USA Championship meet at 7.70. He would take silver at the meet for the highest finish by a Bulldog hurdler since Tramaine Maloney won second in 2016.
 
The outdoor season would see the same success as the indoor. Smith would finish with four podium finishes in six meets.
 
After starting off the season with a 14.04 at the Florida Relays, he would clock a time of 13.67 to finish fourth at the Arkansas Spring Invitational. That time would put in tied for eighth with Mario Russo in program history, a mark that would soon fall out of the top 10.
 
Smith would continue to improve his mark and picked up his first win of the outdoor season with a 13.61 at the Jim Mize Invitational. The following week, he would run a 13.55 at the LSU Alumni Gold, finishing third behind two LSU runners who also qualified for the championship meet. Those two times are currently 10th and ninth on the program's all-time performance list.
 
He would save his best times for last.
 
After missing the CUSA Championships due to injury, Smith was rested and ready to run at the NCAA East Regional. In the preliminary round, he would set a mark of 13.52, which would be the top mark out of all 48 runners. He would come back two days later and run a 13.42 to win his heat and finish third overall.
 
Those marks are the third and second fastest times in program history, only behind Ricky Stubbs's mark of a wind-aided time of 13.30 set at the Southland Conference Championships in 1974.
 
SUPPORT LA TECH ATHLETICS
Championships require championship resources.  Fans can make a direct impact on the success of LA Tech Athletics through LTAC, Aillet Society, T-Club, and Young Alumni program as well as the Bulldog Community Outreach which is the NIL collective that supports Bulldog and Lady Techster student-athletes.  Visit BuildTheLegacy.com today.  
 
BARK LOUDER
Our mission is to engage, develop, and advance the Louisiana Tech Athletics brand.  You can do that by spending time consuming our content and by investing your talents.  By barking louder with your time and talent, you can affect progress and brand advancement in a meaningful way.  Visit LATechSports.com/BarkLouder today.  You bark.  We bark.  Louder together.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest in Louisiana Tech Track & Field/Cross Country, follow them on Twitter (@LATechTFXC), Instagram (@LATechTFXC), and Facebook (Louisiana Tech Track & Field/Cross Country).