Javelin Thrower Honored For Excellence On, Off Track

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<H2 class=vitstoryheadline>Track and Field: Javelin thrower honored for excellence on, off track</H2>

<H5 class=vitstorydate>08:49 AM CDT on Thursday, June 28, 2007</H5>

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

Heath Smith’s perfect run in his time as a student at North Texas paid off one last time this week, when ESPN The Magazine honored him for his all-around excellence.

Heath Smith

Smith was named to the publication’s Academic All-America team for the second straight year, this time as a first-team selection. The former Lake Dallas standout became the first member of the UNT track program to land a spot on the first team a year after earning a spot on the second team.

Smith recently graduated from UNT with a 4.0 grade-point average in criminal justice before finishing the best season of his track career with the Mean Green. Smith broke the UNT record in the javelin with a throw of 65.26 meters at the NCAA Midwest Regional meet, a performance that qualified him for the national meet.

Smith, the first UNT athlete to qualify for nationals in the event since 1970, went on to finish 22nd.

Smith’s performance in the classroom was equally impressive.

“It’s one thing to be a 4.0 student for two years, but when you get to be a junior and senior and the classes get harder, those 4.0 kids have more pressure on them than someone who has a 2.5 because they don’t have any room to screw up because they want to graduate with that 4.0,” UNT head coach Rick Watkins said just before Smith competed in the national meet. “That’s a lot of pressure to be under. To finish with a 4.0 is huge. It shows the discipline and dedication he has no matter what he is doing. The discipline has helped him in track.”

Smith credited his natural ability to take tests and a decision to buckle down late in his senior year for being able to finish with a perfect GPA.

“I had one class last semester that looked like it would be tough, but when the time came for the next to last test and the final I dedicated the whole day to reading the chapters to make sure I knew the material,” Smith said.

Smith’s performance with the Mean Green as a senior was just as successful. He finished with the top five throws in the “new” javelin category in school history and was the first UNT male athlete to qualify for the national meet since Kory Williams competed in the 400 hurdles in 2005.