When the MAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships begin this weekend in Akron, Ohio, Miami senior thrower Ryan Smith will be one of the top contenders on the men's side to score points in the shot put.
 
And the discus.
 
And the javelin.
 
And the hammer.
 
Smith has made a name for himself over the past five seasons with the RedHawks as the extremely rare field athlete who competes in all four throwing events instead of specializing in one, two or three.
 
"People who throw all four in the same meet is virtually unheard of," Smith said. "I always try to score as many points as I possibly can, and putting myself in every throwing event is the way I see myself able to do that."
 
Steve Manz, who has served as an assistant coach with the Miami program for most of Smith's time on campus, said that in 19 years of coaching, he's only had one other thrower attempt to compete in the shot, discus, javelin and hammer in the same meet.
 
"And he maybe did it for two weeks, as opposed to Ryan who's been doing everything for five years now," Manz explained.
 
Although Smith's attention and preparation are necessarily divided somewhat as he tries to fine-tune and perfect each of the different disciplines, the Cincinnati native has still enjoyed a great deal of success across the four field events during his career, dating back to his MAC Freshman Field Athlete of the Year honor in 2019.
 
Smith owns marks that rank among the top 10 in program history in all four specialties and finished seventh or better in all four categories at last year's MAC Outdoor Championships, earning double-digit points for Miami for the second consecutive spring. He's hoping to build on that showing this weekend in his final MAC competition.
 
"We always say, 'It doesn't matter how fast you run or how far you throw or how high you jump in March: What we care about is May, and showing up as a team for the MAC meet,'" Smith said.
 
"For myself, I think one of the most difficult things about being a four-eventer is all four events have distinctly different techniques, so trying to have all four of them lined up and ready to go at a competitive level for the MAC meet is something that's both very difficult and something that I pride myself in."
 
Smith's best showing in a single event at the conference meet came in 2021, when he memorably set a personal record in the javelin —by more than three meters!— to take second place and help propel Miami toward its first team title in 28 years.
 
"It was just awesome," Manz said. "I think he went into it seeded fifth.
 
"The 1500-meter race was happening at the same time. Ryan was throwing well, and as he's going up for round six, the race is finishing and Miami's sweeping the top three. He's fired up, and just launches one to move from fourth to second on his last throw."
 
Smith had averaged 56.7 meters through his first five javelin attempts that day, but obliterated his PR with a throw of 61.97m en route to claiming a personal-best 12 points of the RedHawks' 161.
 
"The fact that Ryan's at a level where he can literally score in every single event at the conference meet is definitely a rare thing," head coach Tom Chorny said. "He's a technician for sure. He understands the way the body works and the mechanics, and I think someday he's probably going to be a pretty amazing coach as well."
 
Smith, who was recognized last year with the Phillip Shriver Graduating Champions Medal of Honor, has not only already graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Finance, but is now putting the finishing touches on a Master's in Sport Leadership and Management with an eye toward pursuing the coaching profession.
 
The attention to detail Smith is known for has served him well in both arenas, whether that's poring over invoices in multimillion-dollar audits as an intern or watching film for an hour a day to try and compare the nuances of his current form with that of his best-ever throws. However, the USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete and 2021 MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete ultimately sees his long-term future as a coach in the sport he loves.
 
"It's a rare thing, even in the coaching world, to get somebody who understands all four events and is able to guide an athlete in the right way," Chorny said, crediting the senior leader for the way he's helped mentor and teach some of the younger throwers on the squad even now (including Ryan's younger brother Adam, a sophomore with the Red and White).
 
"I think it all comes down to Ryan's passion for the sport," Manz said. "He is obsessed with track and field, and has been since high school.
 
"As a perfectionist, he wants to be as good as he possibly can. And that, coupled with his passion, makes him the thrower that he is."
 
Smith said his favorite field event of the four is usually whichever one happens to be going the best for him at that moment, but called the shot put his true love, as he's participated in that event the longest. After a broken back prematurely ended his high school football career at Cincinnati Moeller, Smith quickly realized he could excel in a non-contact sport, even as an undersized thrower.
 
"Maybe compared to the regular population, 235 pounds is big, but compared to shotputters, it's not very big at all," Smith laughed.
 
"But I've had some success with the 16-pound shot in college that has been really fun to see."
 
And the rest is history.
 
Smith made it to the NCAA East Prelims in the discus last year, and still has a chance to earn a top-48 qualifying mark in one or more events this month, but his main focus as his Miami career winds down is trying to do his best to help the RedHawks claim another MAC team championship this weekend.
 
"The MAC meet is the culmination of the season's body of work," Smith said. "I want to be able to leave the ring not having any regrets about the way I approached it. Knowing that however far I threw was the farthest I could have thrown that day.
 
"I just want to be proud of the effort, and hopefully result, that comes out of it…
 
"I love competing in all four. I don't think I would have done it any differently."
 
Find more Front Row Features at: MiamiRedHawks.com/FrontRowFeatures
 
The Miami men's and women's teams will compete at the MAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships May 11-13 in Akron, Ohio. Follow along with the live results on the RedHawks' schedule page.