Smith hits state marks in 4 events to lead New Trier’s sectional successes

New Trier girls track coach Andy Butler said Emilia Smith makes the Trevians go, and now she and several Trevians are going to state.

Smith qualified for the IHSA Class 3A championships on Wednesday, May 14, in all four of her events, including the 4-by-400-meter relay with Emi Graham-Bryce, Sawyer Vyas and Anna Rivera joining her. Smith, who only began track and field three years ago, also qualified in the triple jump, long jump and 400-meter run.

“She is an incredibly gifted athlete, and more importantly her work ethic and mental toughness are second to none,” Butler said. “… She is very level headed and doesn’t get too high or too low and just continues to grind.

“It was great (May 14) with the weather; that helps field events, helps jumps, and we built off that momentum the rest of meet. All season she’s been a big part of our team and setting the tone and making everything go.”

Smith won the triple jump with a distance of 11.74 meters — the Trevians only victory of the day Wednesday in the potent Glenbrook South Sectional. The CSL South champions finished fifth as a team (42 points) well behind dominant sectional champ Prospect (171), as well as Evanston (70), Hersey (58) and Palatine (56).

Smith finished third in the 400 at 58.03 seconds and sixth in the long jump at 18.1. She told The Record that at state she is hoping to break the school records in the 400 (57.24 by Bridget Vitu in 2021) and triple jump (11.76 meters by Gaby Manzano in 2024).

It is the second straight year a Trevian qualified in four events with Manzano accomplishing the rare feat in 2024.

New Trier also got a state-qualifying performance from its 4-by-800 team of Kayla Ritchie, Sadie Abbott, Vyas and Rivera. The quartet placed third at the sectional with a time of 4 minutes 1.65 seconds.

Senior Taylor Kim is also off to state with her pole vault of 3.2 meters to meet the qualifying standard. Kim, a state-qualifying gymnast for New Trier, is in just her second year of pole vaulting.

“Taylor Kim is a really great story,” Butler said. “She started track as a junior and was able to transfer a lot of her strengths from gymnastics into pole vault. She started to put it all together in the last two to three weeks.

“It was a big personal best for her (in the sectional) and also what transferred from gymnastics is that feeling that it was on her to perform when it mattered most.”

Outside of the state qualifiers, Butler said many other Trevians posted personal bests, including freshman Madison Vint in the 200 (26.31; 9th), senior Addison Melsher in the 800 (2:26.91, 8th), sophomore Ritchie in the 1,600 (5:12.37, 6th), freshman Alexis Andrus in 1,600 (5:17.78, 8th), junior Lily Rickard-Bugel in the 3,200 (12:03.88, 6th), sophomore Georgia Burne in the 300 hurdles (48.29, 9th) and senior Rebecca Winkler in the long jump (5.14, 12th).

Butler credits the team’s rugged regular-season competition as a drive to the postseason results.

“We always put together a schedule that helps them perform their best at the end of the season and compete with the best throughout the season,” he said. “That sets the tone at the sectional meet. If they do what they are normally doing, things will work out. We’re not asking them to perform any miracles, just take care of things they can control.”

Loyola Academy is sending two entries to the state meet. Jane Lynch finished third in the 1,600 and bested the state mark with her time of 5:04.8, and Mma Akela posted a state-qualifying distance of 11.38 meters in the triple jump, good enough for second place behind Smith.

Highland Park senior Grace Welhouse will again compete in the 100 hurdles at state, finishing in second place Wednesday with a time of 15.32 seconds.

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