HS TRACK AND FIELD FEATURE: Smith gives Scranton a lift on way to Division I title
Take a look around the infield at a Scranton track and field meet, and Tristen Smith isn’t hard to find.
He bounces around, cheers on his teammates and takes jumps into the sand pit or over a crossbar. There are times he sprints down the straightaway in a dash or around the oval as part of a relay.
One thing is for sure: Smith has a smile on his face.
In his first season as a member of the varsity team, he gets excited about competing, and when called upon, he turns that smile into a fiercely competitive scowl. He loves the sport. He loves being a part of the team. He loves winning.
This season, Smith and his overflowing positive outlook on life have had an impact on the Knights, who captured the Lackawanna Track Conference Division I title last week with a win over Valley View.
Now the sophomore can set his sights on one more regular-season dual meet, and then it is onto the postseason.
“I am just a very happy person and am all about positivity,” Smith said. “I really don’t get mad about anything. When I do lose, it motivates me to do better. I don’t get upset. I just look at the things I may have done wrong. I have great friends, too. They keep me away from bad thoughts. They also always help me with my form on my jumps and motivate me with their support.”
A multi-sport athlete, Smith, 16, is also a defensive back for the football team.
He’s always had good speed and his friends encouraged him to join the track and field team in eighth grade. In junior high at the Phil Tochelli Championship meet, Smith finished seventh in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.08 seconds and sixth in the 200 with a time of 26.73. His best performance came in the long jump, when he leaped 15 feet, 8¾ to finish third.
As a freshman, Smith made great strides. He improved his times in the 100 (12.25) and the 200 (26.23) and had a strong long jump of 17-3 to finish second at the championship meet.
“My friends all wanted me to join track; I did, and it has been a lot of fun,” Smith said. “I like competing, but I also really enjoyed meeting new people and making new friends, even guys from the other teams.”
Coming into the season, Scranton had high expectations.
The Knights returned All-Region standout Brian McCormack and had depth in the distance races with Aidan Graff, who had a terrific fall on the cross country team. Jhaven Sims came off a solid season in the hurdle events, and there was a stable of sprinters that included Eli Ortiz and Billy Maloney.
Smith stepped right into a contributing role in the jumps.
He had a win in the long jump and a personal-best distance of 19-4, and he added a win in the high jump that helped the Knights defeat North Pocono, 76-73, to start the season.
“We knew as a staff that we were getting a great athlete from his performances last year, and he has exceeded our expectations,” Scranton coach Steve Shumbres said. “He is willing to do whatever we ask, and he has really bought into this not being an individual sport but a team sport.”
In an important meet against Abington Heights, Smith found himself locked in a battle with DJ Rogers in the high jump. There were only two athletes left when the bar moved up to six feet.
On his final try, which he needed to make to earn first place and an important five team points, Smith soared over safely onto the mat. His victory gave the team a boost. The Knights went on to a 77-73 win that put them in the driver’s seat for the Division I crown.
“That was very exciting,” Smith said. “At first, I didn’t think I could get over it that high. All of my friends around me were cheering me on, and I got excited. I ran and happened to get over it, and I was very happy.”
Showing that he could handle pressure, Smith has continued to work and improve.
At the Walter Godek Twilight Invitational, Smith finished second in the triple jump with a distance of 41-7. He was sixth in the long jump and eighth in the high jump.
“Things are going really well in the triple jump,” Smith said. “I never thought about doing the triple jump. I didn’t think it would be an event that I would be good at. This year, I really got into it. My coaches taught me how to do it, and I have gotten better and better every meet.”
In the team’s last dual meet against Valley View, Smith won the high jump, again had a triple jump of more than 40 feet, and his newest friend and teammate Jack Roberto finished second in both. He also continued to be a part of the 400 relay team with Sims, Ortiz and Maloney that earned a win and lifted Scranton to a 92-58 win that clinched the Division I championship.
“He is a great young man who never misses a practice,” Shumbres said. “He is always in competition with himself and wants to beat his previous times and marks, whether it is in practice or in meets.”
Smith’s contributions to the jumps are a big factor in why the Knights won the title.
“I like being on this track team,” Smith said. “It’s always so positive with everybody. I have a new close friend in Jack Roberto, who I really didn’t know until I joined the track team. I think we are all like brothers now. Track really brings you closer and brings you together to work for something.”
Scranton closes out the schedule with a crossover meet against Honesdale, and then the Knights will get ready for the Jordan Relays, the Robert Spagna Championships and the District 2 Class 3A Championships.
Smith is eager to run and jump in his first postseason at the varsity level.
“It’s really great to be on a team that won the championship,” Smith said. “We felt like we could do it with our teamwork. We are all good friends, and we are always cheering for each other. That’s what we do on this team. We are always helping each other and cheering.
“I am looking forward to the rest of the season.”
