Jayden Smith hurdles to the top
Fred Jeter | 5/18/2023, 6 p.m.
One of the nation’s smoothest and swiftest college hurdlers learned his craft in Richmond’s West End.
After starring at St. Christopher’s School under Coach Marshall Ware, Jayden Smith is now the Atlantic 10 conference high hurdles champ for Davidson College.
The sophomore won the 110-meter hurdles May 7 in record time (13.42) at the A-10 track and field meet in Amherst, Mass. It also was a facility record.
Smith’s time broke the previous mark of 13.88 set by Rhode Island’s Colin Aina in 2004.
The 13.88 also toppled the facility mark of 13.98 set by George Mason’s Tony Williams in 2014.
At the time Smith ran the 13.42 (May 2023), it was the seventh fastest time in the nation this spring.
To show it was no fluke, Smith broke the old meet record twice, running a 13.54 in the prelims.
Smith was named Co-Most Outstanding performer, along with VCU’s Emmanuel Waller (from Lynchburg), who won the 400 intermediate hurdles.
The season is just warming up. The NCAA East Preliminaries are May 24-27 in Jacksonville, Fla., and the NCAA national meet is June 7-10 in Austin, Texas.
Smith’s credentials include:
• 2023 A-10 indoor champion, 60-meter hurdles
• 2022 A-10 outdoor champion at 110-meter hurdles
• 2022 A-10 indoor champion, 60-meter hurdles
The NCAA record for 110-meter hurdles is 12.98 by Florida’s Grant Holloway in 2019. The world mark of 12.8 was set by American Aries Merritt in 2012.
