Guilford runner named ODAC Athlete of the Week

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Guilford College’s Johnathan Smith (Conyers, Ga./Salem)
earned the Old Dominion Athletic Conference’s (ODAC) Men’s Track and Field
Athlete of the Week Award Monday. The freshman sprinter was also named
Guilford’s Student-Athlete of the Week, as sponsored by the Quakers’
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

Smith turned in three strong performances at the Wake Forest Open last
weekend in Winston-Salem, N.C. The rookie placed seventh in the 100-meter
dash, tops among NCAA Division III contestants, in 10.84 seconds. His 10.75
qualifying time in Friday’s 100-meter preliminaries ranked fifth on the day
and second in Guilford history. It also provisionally qualifies him for the
NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships, a first for a Guilford
student. Smith ran the 200 meters in 22.12 seconds, also the second-fastest
time in school history, which placed 24th among the meet’s 137 contestants.
He also ran the second leg on Guilford’s 4×100 relay squad that placed
19thin 45.05 seconds.

Smith is enjoying a fine freshman season at Guilford. He won the ODAC’s
55-meter indoor title last month and set the school record in the event.
Smith was a Second Team All-ODAC honoree after taking second in the 200
meters.

Smith and coach Bill Cason’s Quakers are back in action Mar. 25-26 at the
Raleigh Relays.

The Student-Athlete of the Week Award is presented by Guilford’s SAAC, which
is comprised of representatives from each of the school’s 20 varsity teams.
The group meets regularly to discuss the state of Guilford Athletics and
seeks to build community among Guilford’s student-athletes and
non-student-athletes. Recent Guilford SAAC activities include a cancer
awareness promotions, canned-food drives, volunteer assistance with the
North Carolina Special Olympics and tutoring at New Garden Friends School.