Jake Smith signs with University of Texas-San Antonio to run cross-country/track
Cibola High School distance runner Jake Smith signed Friday, May 25, 2018 to compete at the University of Texas-San Antonio next season in both cross country and track and field.
Smith was joined by his family, coaches and several students in a signing ceremony at Cibola.
"I would say UTSA was the right fit for me because of the coaches, staff and athletes," Smith said. "The coaches had a similar training aspect compared to [Cibola] Coach [Kris] Norton’s and I’m excited to go ahead and give it a shot at the Division 1 level. Coach Norton and all of the other coaches always taught me respect, determination and consistency in the sport."
In the Arizona Interscholastic Association Division I state track and field finals, Smith finished 11th in the 3200m run with a time of 9:33.79 and 15th in the 1600m run with a time of 4:25.90. He also competed in the state cross country finals on November 4, 2017, placing 22nd in a field of 164 runners.
“Jake Smith was an outstanding athlete and a real joy to coach,” said Cibola cross country coach Kris Norton, who also coached Smith as track assistant. “He is very passionate about his running and we look forward to watching him compete at the college level. The commitment and sacrifice he makes coupled with his natural talent will lead him to having a great college experience.”
Smith’s teammate Thomas Cain signed to compete at Central Arkansas, which could potentially pit the two distance runners against each other in preliminaries for the NCAA championships.