November 13, 2011 – Casey Smith of Methow Valley Biathlon has been named as the Junior Biathlete of the Year for the 2011 US Biathlon Team. Casey is a sophomore at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT and a native of Winthrop, Washington. He is a member of the US Junior National Biathlon Team.

Selection for Athlete of the Year is primarily based on international results in the previous competitive season. Casey lead the US Men’s team at the Junior World Championship which were held in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic. He had his best result in the 12.5km Individual Race, placing 30th with shooting 0-2-0-2. Casey was the top ranked Youth after the US Jr/Youth Trails which were held in Jericho, Vermont. Casey spent most of January and February on the road in Central Europe, racing and gaining experience in a number of events in Germany, Italy, and Czech Republic. He finished up his season with three National Championship titles at the US Biathlon Championships at Mt Itasca, Minnesota.

Casey has been training in Bozeman, and has joined the US Junior National Team for summer and fall training camps in Colorado and Utah. He will be looking to top his previous years Junior World Championship performances as he moves into the Junior age category (age 19-20) at the Junior Worlds which will be held in Kontiolahti, Finland in late February, 2012.

Read more on Smith HERE.
Smith Bio HERE.