'Indebted to each other': Martins, Smythes leave indelible mark at Summit Country Day

When the clock hit zero in the Division II girls soccer state championship game, the Summit Country Day Silver Knights celebrated their fourth title in program history and the first since 2017.

The victory meant a little bit more for seniors Lily Martin and Avery Smythe. Their older siblings, Austin and Addy Smythe and Sam and Rachel Martin, had all won championships while in high school and were in the crowd to see their sisters complete the familial trifecta.

"I can't really put into words what it meant, but I know there was a lot of crying and happy tears," Austin said.

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Paths colliding

Both families come from athletic backgrounds. Mike Smythe played hockey in college. His wife, Lynn, played tennis. Scott Martin played basketball at Rollins College, a trait that led to Sam earning a walk-on spot at the University of Cincinnati and Rachel winning a national championship at Thomas More.

"Basketball was always a given, I guess, for us three, but soccer was kind of, at least for me and Rachel, was our time away from basketball, but Lily kind of took it on as her own," Sam said.

Sam transferred to Summit Country Day in 2015 after two years at St. Xavier, where his dad served as his basketball coach. Rachel followed in 2016. Lily's enrollment was almost a given since the silver and blue were all she had ever known from watching her siblings on the field.

Austin blazed a similar path for his sisters. He attended Mariemont for grade school before becoming a freshman at Summit in 2011. Addy entered high school a year later and Avery enrolled as a freshman in 2020.

Collectively, the Martins and Smythes scored 176 goals and contributed to 303 wins and seven state championships. Sam holds the state record for most goals in a championship match when he scored four in his team's 2016 victory. Addy holds a similar record with an added layer. She netted a hat trick in a single half of her team's 6-0 win over Chippewa in 2015.

"We've kind of seen the soccer program just come into fruition and seeing the success it's had, it's just been so cool to say that we've been a part of it," Addy said.

Austin and Sam won two titles apiece as the boys program won four championships from 2012 to 2016. Addy helped the girls team break a four-year drought in 2015 before Rachel won a ring of her own in 2017.

Lily and Avery knew about the family history at Summit, but winning a state championship provided the perfect ending to a decade of history the two families have brought to the school.

"I knew how good Addy was because of my sister Rachel being younger than her and hearing about her game and whatnot, and then I heard that there was another Smythe and I was like, 'No way! She's going to be so good. I can't wait to play with her.'" Lily said.

Entering their senior year, Avery and Lily felt a bit of pressure to bring home a trophy, but they mostly wanted to win because they were tired of seeing so many rings around the house that weren't theirs.

"I was definitely feeling the pressure from my family to win just so I could rub it in (their) faces," Avery said.

In watching Sam win two state championships by scores of 9-0 and 9-1, and Rachel's team win a 4-0 title match, Lily got the impression that winning would be easy. However, transitioning to Division II made the task more difficult. So, too, did a "David versus Goliath" title fight. Summit Country Day, the eighth-smallest school in DII, went up against Rocky River, the largest school in DII.

"It felt so good to have to work so hard to win. But I think just the way that Summit has the most supportive community and whatnot, it just kind of gives you the drive to bring this home for our whole school," Lily said.

Avery had her own championship moment as she sent in the corner kick that led to the game-winning goal.

Excelling in college

After being named to two Miami Valley Conference all-league first teams, Austin began his collegiate career at Radford in 2015. He then transferred to Cincinnati for three years before spending a graduate year at Drake.

While in Clifton, he would often run into Sam, who played Bearcat basketball from 2017-2022. Sam could have played soccer in college but opted for his primary sport. Coincidentally, he is now an assistant soccer coach at St. Xavier, where his journey began.

"Being able to coach younger kids and hopefully give them a great experience like I had was something I was really looking forward to," Sam Martin said.

Addy and Rachel also stayed in Greater Cincinnati for college. Addy played soccer at Xavier University and Rachel is currently a senior at Thomas More University.

Lily and Avery are opting to focus on their academics rather than continue their athletic careers. The decision stems from how they've seen sports consume their siblings' lives in college, but also the physical and emotional toll they felt at the end of their championship game.

"I've seen how much commitment any type of college sport takes, and I think that was a good way to end it," Lily said.

'Role models for others'

What the Martins and Smythes have done in their athletic careers can be quantified. What they have done for each other, and the bond they share, can't simply be described with numbers.

"I think at the end of the day, the Smythe and Martin families are always going to be indebted to each other. Just being part of such a special family and being able to accomplish what we accomplished, I think we made our parents pretty proud," Austin said.

The families are not only indebted to each other but to their school. Sam was blown away by the support at his first away game as a sophomore. It was the same support the girls team received two weeks ago in Columbus. That enthusiasm is made possible by Head of School Kelly Schiess and Athletic Director Greg Dennis, among many others.

"The faculty and staff, they're the reason we're sitting here today and the reason these trophies are here. They put on an unmatched platform for student-athletes to succeed," Austin said.

Summit Country Day has seen a decade of Martin and Smythe children walk its halls. Girls soccer head coach Mike Fee believes that, because of their leadership, their legacy will endure for several years to come.

"These are leaders. These are kids of character that really become role models for others, and how awesome is it that you've got a decade of that role model?" Fee said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Martin, Smythe families grateful for Summit Country Day experience