Before the start of Event 3 this morning, things were not going well for Ben Smith. Smith finished Day 1 in the Atlantic Regional tied for 19th place. With 13 athletes between him and the final qualifying spot, Smith needed to strong performance on Saturday to get back into contention.
And he did just that!
Smith was in the second of four heats on Day 2 action which meant he would need to set a target for the final 20 athletes to try to chase down. But on the long down-and-back chipper, Smith put up a time that no one, even overall leader Noah Ohlsen, could match. Smith’s time of 11:48 was 42 seconds better than 2nd place Travis Mayer and 62 seconds better than Ben’s brother Alec who took 3rd in the event.
On Event 4, Smith once again put up a time that would make the final heat work to catch him. This time, however, Ohlsen would have an answer on his way to a blistering time of 6:19, just 6 seconds off Patrick Vellner’s event record. Smith would end up settling for 5th in the event.
But after two days of competition Smith now sits in 7th overall, a much better position than just 24 hours earlier. Smith is 11 points behind Nathan Bramblett in 5th place.
Standings after Day 2:
1. Noah Ohlsen (332)
2. Alec Smith (305)
3. Josh Miller (298)
4. Travis Mayer (298)
5. Nathan Bramblett (291)
***
6. Ryan Elrod (286)
7. Ben Smith (280)
