Confident Smith set for indoor nationals

As confident as Miles Smith is, he has no illusions about winning a national title this week.

Or does he?

Southeast Missouri State's outgoing sophomore sprinter definitely plans to make his mark at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.

Smith, who qualified in the 400-meters, will compete in the preliminaries Friday night at the University of Arkansas.

"I feel like I can do anything," Smith said. "I think I can win it. It's whoever does it that day, not over the whole season."

Pressed a little further, Smith did admit that it will be extremely difficult to capture a championship during his debut at nationals in what generally ranks as the meet's marquee event.

Smith even realizes how hard it will be to simply reach Saturday's finals, which would place him in the top eight and earn him All-American honors.

"My goal is to get in the top eight," he said. "If I can get in the finals and make All-American, I'll be satisfied."

Added Smith, who seems to wear a perpetual grin: "I'm trying to win, but I know it will be hard to get in the finals."

Southeast coach Joey Haines has absolutely no problem with Smith's brashness -- "I'm confident, not cocky," Smith claims -- and believes it has helped him already become one of the premier long sprinters in school history.

"Miles thinks he can do anything," Haines said, laughing. "I think he's got unlimited potential. He has really matured over the last year and he's still going to get a lot better.

"The top eight make the finals and score points. That's the big goal, and I think that's realistic for him."

Only 14 runners were accepted into the 400-meter field, and Smith is ranked 13th with his school-record time of 46.42 seconds. But the field is extremely tight, with the eighth-place qualifier clocking 46.32. Florida sophomore Kerron Clement is ranked first at 45.29.

As an example of how loaded the field is, two runners who earned gold medals on the United States 4x400 relay team at last summer's Olympic Games are not even ranked in the top four. Baylor's Darold Williamson is fifth (46.13) and LSU's Kelly Willie is sixth (46.18).

"The 400 is by far the strongest event in the U.S.," Haines said.

Smith, a former standout at Riverview Gardens High School in the St. Louis area, had a big freshman season for Southeast last year, finishing second in the Ohio Valley Conference indoor 400, winning the OVC outdoor 400 and qualifying for outdoor regionals in the 200, 400 and 4x400 relay.

This year, Smith has already set school records in the 400 and 200 (21.42), and he anchored Southeast's record-setting 4x400 relay team. He recently won the OVC indoor 400, placed second in the 200 and was named the league's male track athlete of the year.

"It's exciting the way I've been running, but I don't want to get too carried away," Smith said.

And he figures what happened during last year's 400 at the regional meet will keep him grounded. With hopes of qualifying for nationals as a freshman, he false-started for the first time ever.

"It's the first time I've ever false-started in any kind of meet in my whole life," Smith said. "I learned my lesson, to be patient and zone out any noise you hear. It definitely motivated me for this year."

Still, Smith said he really didn't expect to qualify for indoor nationals.

"It was a goal, but I was actually thinking more toward outdoors. But I'll take it," he said. "I wouldn't say it was a surprise, but it caught me off guard."

Smith doesn't figure to get caught off guard at nationals because he knows how talented the field is. But Haines believes he'll be able to not only make his mark this week but also in the future.

"Schools from the South really have a big advantage, because late in the indoor season they can practice outside," Haines said. "A lot of people ranked ahead of Miles, he'll catch up to them outdoors.

"The sky is the limit for Miles in the future, but I really think he has a chance to finish high this week."