Reigning 4A Washington XC Champion Signs NLI to Join Pilots
PORTLAND, Ore. --- Coming off its second highest finish ever at the NCAA Championships in the fall, the Portland Pilots men’s cross country team added a new threat to its roster by adding Jacob Smith. Smith, the reigning 4A Washington Cross Country individual champion, will begin his Pilot career in September when the 2012 cross country seasons gets underway.
"Jacob is absolutely a blue chipper,” Portland head coach Rob Conner noted. “We feel he is a runner who can step in immediately and help us next fall.”
2011 was a big year for Smith, who hails from Wenatchee, Wash. In addition to clocking a time of 15:03 to win the state championships, Smith found himself nationally ranked in three track events, highlighted by a time of 8:29.55 in the 3000m indoor for a No. 3 ranking.
Smith also owns solid times in the two-mile indoor and the 5000m events, , earning national rankings of seventh (9:05.20) and 13th (14:57.94), respectively.
Conner added, “He is a tremendous talent and has been lightly trained in high school so he has a huge upside."
Jacob is not the first in his family to be recruited by Conner. While coaching at Mankato State in 1987, Conner recruited Jacob’s father, Mike, who subsequently earned All-American honors for the division 2 program.
