GHS College Bound Athlete: Emma Smith

Emma Smith (right) with teammate Casey MacElhiney at The Outdoor Track & Field Nationals in Oregon

Emma Smith, a 2021 graduate at Glastonbury High School, will take her athletic talents and academic gifts to Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.

“I chose Tufts because I decided to put academics before athletics, and I believe Tufts will set me up for the most success later in life,” stated Smith, who will run for the Jumbos, “I am so excited to compete at the college level because I think I will find I am capable of so much more than I have already achieved.”

Smith is coming off an impressive senior season on the track where she became an elite hurdler and a leg on the program’s successful 4x400 relay team that helped Glastonbury win conference and the Class LL state championship. Her efforts earned her a trip to The Outdoor Nationals in Oregon where she competed with her 4x4 teammates Alyssa Healy, Riley Carrol, and Meghan Smith.

“I surprised myself in my senior track season and I am eager to continue to build and see where I can go,” recalled Smith, who is leaning toward majoring in chemistry in college, “I just like the idea of pushing myself beyond my limits and finding out how far I can go, because there’s always more to give.”

Glastonbury High School’s strength and conditioning coach Zack Bohling praised Smith for her effort and courage in the weight room.

“Emma was the only girl at one point who was going, and once other girls saw some of the result she was getting we got more and more girls,” said Bohling, “Now half the weight room is girls. She wasn’t scared to get started, and all these younger girls are now coming in and excited to get results.”

Of the track, Smith was part of Host Club, Key Club, Care Club, as well as National Honor Society. Her athletic prowess and excellence in the classroom earned her a spot on the All-State Academic Team

At her next destination she’ll join a strong track and field program led by Kristen Morwick, who has been named a New England Coach of the Year an incredible seven times.

​The transition to college will be bitter sweet for one of GHS most respected athletes.
 
“I will definitely miss the people the most. I love my friends, teammates, and coaches more than anything. I am so sad to leave but I am excited to see everything they accomplish,” said Smith, who recalled an amazing memory from Senior Night this spring, “Coach [Mark] Alexander asked each senior to write our names and one of our proudest accomplishments on a piece of paper that he collected and put in a bowl. When he came back, all the paper was burned and he told each of us to take a pinch and go put it on the track in a meaningful spot so that we would forever be a part of Glastonbury. I took the ashes and thought about all the good times I’ve had on the track. The finish line, but that was too obvious. My favorite lane four, but that was too boring. I settled on the mark where I fell during the 100 meter hurdle so I can always remember the fear I felt when I went to race the 100mh again and how I overcame it.”