May 4, 2006

Brentwood, Tenn. - Miles Smith of Southeast Missouri State University has been selected as the 2006 Ohio Valley Conference Male Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year.

Smith, a gold medalist at the World Track & Field Championships last summer in Helsinki, Finland, will lead the Redhawks men's track team in the O'Reilly Ohio Valley Conference championships on Friday and Saturday at the Abe Stuber Track and Field Complex at Southeast. He will run the 400-meters, 200-meters and run on the Redhawks relay teams.

An outdoor track All-American last season when he placed fifth in the NCAA championships, Smith will be in search of his third straight OVC 400-meter title at this year's championships. A graduate of Riverview Gardens High School in St. Louis, Smith holds the leagues top spot in the 400 with a time of 45.74 which ranks third nationally in NCAA Division I.

Early this year, Smith was named the OVC Indoor Male Track Athlete of the Year as well as the Male Athlete of the Championship. He was seventh at the NCAA indoor championships which again gained him All-America honors.

Jacksonville State's Eboni Matthews was tabbed as the OVC female Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, Eastern Illinois' Austin Hogue took home OVC Male Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year honors while Samford's April Howell was picked as the OVC Female Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year.

The men's and women's championships begin on Friday at 1 p.m. and continue on Saturday at 11 a.m. Southeast Missouri is defending champion in both the men's and women's championships.