The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

SPRINT hurdler Oscar Smith will make the move to the Big 10 when he transfers to a new programme.

Buckeyes Track and Field announced via Twitter that Smith will join the Ohio State programme for the upcoming Fall campaign following a COVID-19 pandemic shortened freshman season with the Kansas State Wildcats.

In his lone season with the Wildcats, Smith ran an indoor season’s best of 7.81 seconds in the 60m hurdles in the prelims at the Razorback invitational in February. The time ranked No.4 all time on the school’s top 10 list. He eventually went on to finish eighth in the final in 7.86.

At the Tyson Invitational he finished third in the 60m hurdles in 8.09.

Smith was also a member of the 4x400m relay team that turned in a season’s best time of 3:27.09 at the DeLoss Dodds Invitational.

According to his feature on the Wildcats’ athletic website, he made his Kansas State debut with a time of 8.02. The following day he ran a time of 7.87 and in his first race of 2020, posted a time of 7.98.

He credited his training and quick adjustment to the NCAA Division I level for his early success.

“It was pretty intense when I first started, but as we inched into indoor season it started to settle down, started to get more specific with my event, and I think I’m handling it well now,” he said in February. “I think I’ve gotten significantly faster. I’ve improved my form over the hurdles, especially with the hurdles going up three inches. I think I’ve improved in that division of it.”

Smith joins a Buckeyes men’s programme that finished fifth at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. The Buckeyes claimed 10 top-eight finishes and collected four medals.

He becomes the second Bahamian sprinter to transfer to the Buckeyes in as many years following Devine Parker’s transfer from the Kentucky Wildcats. Parker earned All-America honours in her first season at Ohio State.

Locally, Smith was a member of the St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine. He was a 2018 CARIFTA bronze medallist and a 2018 World Junior semi-finalist in the 110m hurdles.