FOREST, Va. – Bridgewater College men's track & field junior thrower Mike Smith was named ODAC Field Athlete of the Week, which the league office announced on Tuesday afternoon.
 
Smith, hailing from Waynesboro, Virginia, finished on the podium in a pair of events at the Cardinal Classic this past weekend as he took second place in the shot put and the weight throw.
 
Competing in a field consisting of competitors of all levels of the NCAA, Smith posted a best toss of 17.19 meters (56' 4.75") in the weight throw to take second place. He was the top Division III thrower and trailed only former BC thrower Peter Fulton who was competing unattached. Smith's mark is his best on the season and leads the ODAC by nearly two meters and is the only thrower to surpass 16.0 meters so far.  He also ranks 26th in the nation.
 
Smith added another second-place finish as he heaved 14.58 meters (47' 10.0") in the shot put to also put him atop the ODAC performance lists on the season. Much like the weight throw, Smith's mark was the best of Division III competitors at the event and trailed only Jaeden Warner of Bowie State (NCAA Div. II) by less than a tenth of a meter (three inches).
 
This is Smith's and the teams' first ODAC weekly award of the indoor season and the second Athlete of the Week for BC this week (Oates, MBB).
 
Smith claimed All-America honors at the NCAA Championships in the weight throw a year ago after taking fourth place with a school record heave of 19.13 meters in the finals.
 
The Eagles are back in action this Friday and Saturday, January 26-27, at the Patriot Games, hosted by George Mason.