Women's Track and Field | 7/27/2020 1:37:00 PM

July 27, 2020-Emporia State Athletics mourns the passing of Hall of Honor member and 1964 United States Olympian Janell (Smith) Carson who passed away on July 25 after a months long battle with cancer.
 
Carson attended Emporia State after representing the United States in the 400m at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. She was a two-time National AAU 440 yard and 400 meter champion in 1964 and 1965. Her time of 52.3 seconds in the 400 meters still ranks as the best-ever by a high school age girl in Kansas. She set the world record for the indoor 400 meters in 1965.
 
She unofficially (since ESU and the NAIA did not have a recognized women's team at the time) represented Emporia State at the first NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships in 1966, winning the 60 yard and 440 yard dashes.
 
After graduating from Emporia State, Smith spent 35 years as a grade school teacher with stops in Springfield, Mo., Arkansas City, St. Paul, Galesburg, Erie, and Parsons, Kan.  She is a member of the KSHSAA Hall of Fame, the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame and the ESU Athletics Hall of Honor.
 
She is survived by her husband, Mike, three sons Brian, Scott and Tim, and multiple grandchildren.