EMPORIA, Kan. — Montana State Billings women’s track and field athlete Rae Smart will continue her freshman campaign after qualifying for the 2026 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in both the shot put and the javelin, following the release of the national qualifiers Tuesday.
Smart’s national qualification marks a historic achievement for both her and the program. Smart becomes the eighth Yellowjacket athlete, the third MSUB woman and first freshman ever to qualify for the D-II championships. Smart will become the first Yellowjacket to compete at nationals since Beau Ackerman in 2021, and the first MSUB women since Della Lyle in 2016.
“Rae has done great this spring,” said MSUB coach Jonathan Woehl. “She immediately meshed with the team coming out of basketball season and right into track and field. She’s continually improved her repertoire all year and has become consistent in all her throws, and we’re excited for her to compete at nationals.”
Smart has already earned a number of accolades in both events this season, having set MSUB’s school records in both the shot put and javelin. Smart’s best mark of 14.95 meters (49 feet, 0¾ inches) in shot put ranks second in the west region this season, and 11th nationally, while her javelin mark of 45.77 meters (150-2) ranks third in the west region, and 18th in the nation.
Smart finished in third place in both events last week at the 2026 GNAC Outdoor Championships, becoming just the third woman to medal in multiple events at the outdoor championship in program history, doing so for the first time since 2012.
The NCAA D-II Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held May 21-23 in Emporia, Kan., hosted at Welch Stadium on the campus of Emporia State University. Both of Smart’s events are scheduled to take place on Saturday, with shot put scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Mountain time and javelin set for 2 Mountain.
