Masuk High’s Tristan Smith took first place in the shot put event at the New England Championships at the University of New Hampshire in Durham on June 8. Smith took the title with a throw of 61-feet-5 inches.
The top athletes from every New England State earned their spot at the meet by placing in the top six at their state championship. Smith was ranked 11th out of 35 competitors, but had the best performance in the event by improving on his own personal record. His previous personal best was 58 feet 6 inches.
His throw shatters the previous SWC competitor record of 59 feet 8 inches set in 2011 by John Wlasuk of Newtown.
Next up for Tristan is New Balance Nationals at Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He will compete in discus event on Friday and shot-put on Saturday.
“Taking first at new Englands to me was an incredible accomplishment,” said Smith, adding his hard work paid off.
Smith suggests all athletes should believe in themselves, while working toward achieving their goals.
“Trusting the process is what led to my success,” he said. “You have to believe in yourself every step as confidence is key.”
As Smith’s senior year winds down, his track and field career is not ending but going into the next chapter. The Central Connecticut State University-bound athlete will major in Exploratory Business while competing for the track and field team.
“Now that my high school career is coming to a close I am looking forward to training for college,” Smith said. “This summer is going to be a great offseason for me. I am taking some rest early, but workout a lot with throwing and lifting. I am going to be training to be a better athlete so that when I go to college I can become even better.”
Masuk track Coaches Terry Tyler and Sarah Barrett appreciate what Smith has done in and out of competition.
“Tris is the only Masuk individual, boy or girl, to hold an all-time SWC record,” Tyler said. “He is one of a very few athletes from our conference to win a New England championship. His accomplishments and leadership will be greatly missed.”
“Seeing Tristan grow as an athlete, a leader, and a young man over the past four years has been an absolute joy,” Barrett said. “I am so proud of him and how hard he has worked to achieve what he has.”
“What stood out most to me today was that he was more excited to break that 60 foot milestone than he was about placing first,” she added. “That’s always how he’s been and that’s the mindset I work to instill in all my athletes, that this sport is about bettering yourself and achieving your personal bests, not about beating the competition. I am so excited to see how successful he will be in college and beyond.”
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