Smith part of champion Bengals track team

By Brian Wright, Sports Editor

Audra Smith left an impressive track legacy at Pima High School, and she has created another one at Idaho State University. Smith, who also ran track at Central Arizona College, is a multi-event athlete for ISU and runs both heptathlons and pentathlons.

Smith completed her master’s degree in health education a couple of weeks ago.

She only competed in the indoor season and redshirted the outdoor season in 2006.

Eleven girls on the track team redshirted the outdoor season so they could have a group stacked with talent in 2007.

Other accomplishments for Smith at ISU include being named to the Big Sky All-Conference team in 2005 and finishing third at the conference championships in the heptathlon with a score of 4,775.

While at Central Arizona College, Smith finished fifth in the NJCAA in the heptathlon with a point total of 4,133.

She was recently named an NCAA Academic and Athletic All-American.

The ISU women’s track team won the 2007 Big Sky Conference Outdoor Cha-mpionships in June. It was the first time the school had ever won an outdoor conference championship.

Smith performed at her highest level at the conference championships.

She set personal-best records of 5,084 points in the heptathlon, ran the 200 meters in 24.62 and the 100 meters in 12.06, threw the javelin 139 feet, 9 inches and was part of a 4X100-meter relay team that finished in 46.10.

“I’m very spoiled with the way I ended my college career,” Smith said.

She was also excited that ISU beat Northern Arizona University because she was never offered a scholarship by NAU.

Some of Smith’s outstanding achievements at Pima High School included being a state champion in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters and the long jump.

She still holds the school record in the 100, 200, 400 and the 4X100-meter relay.

Smith learned about ISU from a friend who was going there on a rodeo scholarship.

She was told that ISU was a good place to be a heptathlete. Smith e-mailed ISU track coach Dave Nielsen, and he offered her a scholarship.

One of her favorite moments in her collegiate track career was running a 24.62 in the 200 meters at the conference championships in June because she worked long and hard to achieve that fast a time.

“I just freaked out — I was so excited,” she said.

Smith said it is a bittersweet feeling of leaving college and moving on to the next phase of her life.

She wants to find a job in health education but isn’t sure she will be able to stay in Pocatello, Idaho.

Smith wants to find a job somewhere in the Western part of the country.

“I know I’ll be successful because of what I accomplished in college,” she said.