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10/12/2017 12:00 AMWill Smith played baseball while growing up, and the notion of being a competitive runner was never a thought in his mind. However, in his freshman year at Guilford, Will’s friend encouraged him to try out for the cross country team, and it’s been full steam ahead ever since. After being part of a Class MM state champion squad in 2015, Will is now a senior captain with the Indians, who are 6-1 despite graduating two of their best runners from last year.
“Running at first seemed pointless to me, but my first coach [former Guilford cross country Head Coach] Jon Faitsch said to me as a freshman that I had potential with the sport. It clicked with me then that if I tried a little harder, I could do this,” says Will, who also runs the 400, 800, and 4x400 relay for both indoor and outdoor track. “We’ve had a pretty good year so far, and the team is looking better than we thought. I have a lot of things to improve on, and I have to train and push myself harder. I know I can go faster. I’m the No. 5 runner on the team, but every position is important.”
Will says that he sometimes feels the nerves kick in before a big meet, but he’s developed confidence throughout the years, along with the know-how of where to be at the right time while trekking the course. These attributes allow Will to punch it into another gear.
“[Head Coach] Jon Rivera always gets a scouting report on the course for us, so we know what we have to do. I do get quieter and nervous before a race, because I hope I don’t fail, and just do my job. But then I do lose my nerves and get right into it,” Will says. “I know who I have to stick near and, if I’m behind, I know I have to push it.”
Coach Rivera says that Will displays his passion for running not so much with his words, but rather, through his actions on the paths.
“Will has come a long way since freshman year. I did not coach Will freshman year, but was around him in school and at the track, and immediately picked up on his ambition and love of being with the guys and, in the three years since, it has shown,” says Rivera. “He has worked really hard, stayed determined, and has become a model of consistency. He is going to give you everything he has every race. He wants to win, he wants the team to win so bad, and he wears his heart on his chin...Will was an integral part of our tie-breaking win against a strong Cheshire team earlier this season. I am proud of his development as a runner and, as a young man, as he has had his strongest season yet this year.”
A lot of Will’s progression stems from the effort he puts in away from the course. As a captain, Will has learned how to strike the right balance between being both a team leader and a friend.
“I’ve gotten better with pushing myself harder in workouts and trying to finish them. I’ve been trying to go the extra distance and do harder options for training. I never thought my freshman year that doing those extra things would help me. I was also more scared as a freshman, and now I’ve gotten more used to races more and focus in better,” says Will. “I learned that at times I have to toughen up and tell the guys that we have a job to do, which can be difficult, because I want to be friends with my teammates. You have to communicate between the team and the coach about what’s happening and set good examples.”
Guilford has been traveling in a pack during its meets this year, and Will feels that will be a tremendous asset for the team in the postseason. Will says the parity among the Indians’ athletes only pushes them to do better.
“For me, I want to break 18 minutes at Wickham Park,” says Will, who thanks Faitsch, Rivera, and Guilford boys’ outdoor track Head Coach George Cooksey, along with Brendan O’Callahan, Lukas O’Callahan, and Finn Davidson. “The strength of our team is in our ability to pack. We push each other, because we are so close to each other and want to be in front of the next guy. Our younger guys push me to do better.”