Josh Smith

Position:
Nordic
Height:
5-10
Weight:
135
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Vail, Colo.
High School:
Vail Mountain School

Top Career Classical Finish: 11th (2008 New Mexico Invitational)

Top Career Freestyle Finish: 4th (2008 New Mexico Invitational)

Cranmer on Smith ? “Josh Smith is in his last year and has also had a solid start to his season and should also be challenging the rest of the CU men for a top-three spot. His classic skiing has improved to the point he could be right in there in either technique.”

2008 ? Smith had his strongest year thus far as a Buff, laying claim to seven top-15 finishes and two career-best efforts. Smith had his best collegiate weekend to date at the New Mexico Invitational where he recorded a career best fourth place in the 5K freestyle and an 11th place finish in the 10K classical. Smith’s fourth place finish was his first top-10 finish in his career, topping his previous best of 12th in the freestyle at Montana State in 2007. Smith followed that up with two strong finishes at the RMISA Championships, including eighth place in the freestyle discipline, and was also named to the NCAA Skiing All-Academic Team.

2007 ? Smith participated in four meets this season and claimed six top-25 finishes in eight races. He recorded a career-best 12th place finish in the freestyle race at Montana State. His top finish in the classical discipline was 20th at MSU in the 20K.

2006 ? Smith skied in three meets for Colorado this season. He posted three top 20 finishes in six races, with a season best of 14th in the freestyle race at the Western State Invitational. His season best in the classical discipline was 29th in the Western State Invitational. A 20th place finish in the freestyle at the CU Invitational was his other top 20 finish.

High School ? Smith lettered three times in Nordic skiing under coach Daniel Weiland at Vail Mountain School, with his top finish a fifth place at the Junior Nationals and serving as his team’s captain as a senior. He also lettered in cycling at VMS under coach Ray Pickavance, and was a two-time state champion and won the fifth stage of the Tour of Gila.

Club ? He competed for the past five years for Ski Club Vail, qualifying twice for the Junior Nationals, taking fifth in the 15k freestyle in March of 2005. In 2005, he was third in the Ski-Athlon 14km race in Durango, and took sixth that same month in the 7.5km freestyle race at Crested Butte in the Rocky Mountain JOQ.

In the Classroom ? He is majoring in mechanical engineering at Colorado, and is also interested in design.

Personal ? Joshua Nicholas Smith was born Feb. 2, 1986, and is the son of Mark and Claudia Smith of Vail. He has a sister Ana who is a senior at the University of Denver, and a brother Zachary, who is a freshman at Colorado. He earned a plethora of academic honors at VMS, including three Excellence in Mathematics awards, an Excellence in English award and an award for excellence in history. His hobbies include telemarking, cycling, art, traveling and hiking. He also volunteers with Habitat for Humanity and at various ski and bike races. Smith is bilingual, speaking German, and is a fourth generation Coloradoan on his father’s side.

SEASON BY SEASON RESULTS

2008 CL FS

at Utah Invitational 25 26

COLORADO INVITATIONAL 17 15

at Western State Invitational 22 13

at New Mexico Invitational 11 4

at RMISA Championships 12 8

2007 CL FS

at Utah Invitational 23 33

at Montana State Invitational 20 12

at New Mexico Invitational 25 18

at RMISA Championships 31 20