(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski) caption: LEADING THE WAY: Princeton High boys’ track star Zaid Smart heads to victory in a recent meet. Last Saturday, senior Smart took third in the 3,200 in 9:24.7 at the Mercer County Championship meet. Smart’s superb effort helped PHS place ninth of 16 teams at the meet.

Distance Star Smart Taking Leading Role As PHS Boys’ Track Heads Into Home Stretch

Bill Alden

In 2010, distance runner Zaid Smart had the luxury of going under the radar for Princeton High boys’ track team.

“Last year was a lot of fun, every race was like ‘oh my gosh’ let’s just go out and see how much more I could do,” said Smart. “I was running relaxed; there wasn’t as much pressure.”

As the season, progressed Smart proved he was up to the pressure of the big meets, placing sixth in the 3,200 at the Group III state championship meet to qualify for the Meet of Champions.

Coming into the 2011 campaign, Smart knows that he is a marked man. “I feel more pressure, even from my own team,” said the senior star.

“I felt that in cross country this year where the team would look at how I was running and go off of that. I went out a little bit slower and everyone else went slow. I have to be a leader. When my team sees me out there in front, doing what I need to do or even better, it gives them a little bit of hope.”

Smart, for his part, is paying more attention to his foes at the front of the pack.

“I know who my competition is and I have to go out and beat them,” asserted Smart.

“I am very serious about that. Once I have my eye on someone, you go out and beat them and you don’t let them get past you.”

Last Saturday, Smart was right there with the competition at the Mercer County Championship meet, placing third in the 3,200 in 9:24.7, trailing only the WW/P-N’s superstar Rosa twins, Joe and Jim. Smart’s superb effort helped PHS place ninth of 16 teams at the meet.

Smart was looking forward to the intense competition at the county meet.

“I want to feel that I am pushing myself right now so I will get used to that feeling,” said Smart.

“Going into the Twilight meet, I was a little bit scared. But after running well there, I think the season is going to end well.”

As a battle-tested senior and team captain, Smart started the season by helping to pace some of PHS’s younger runners as they got their legs under them.

“I find I can be more of a leader on race day,” said Smart. “I wouldn’t be a silent pacer. I’m screaming ‘let’s go’ if I am a little ahead of you. When we are in the heat of things, that’s when my true leadership shines.”

Smart is hoping to shine next year when he heads down to the University of North Carolina-Charlotte this fall to compete for its cross country and track programs.

“I am very excited but I am also very scared,” said Smart, reflecting on his jump to the college level.

“I have this sense of being No. 1 and I have this confidence. They all got recruited and they are amazing and I don’t know if I will even be the No. 1 freshman. I may be the slowest. I am happy but it will be a challenge.”

PHS faces some challenges as it heads into the postseason with the Central Jersey Group III sectional meet slated for May 27-28 at Monmouth Regional,

“We lost a lot of guys but we want our freshman class, which is amazing, to taste victory,” said Smart.

“We want them to know that even if we might not be so good this year, if you guys keep pounding it out, once you guys are juniors and seniors, you will be amazing.”

Smart, for his part, is looking to produce an amazing stretch drive as he wraps up his stellar PHS career.

“I want to go to the Meet of Champions and the nationals,” said Smart. “I don’t want to go as an individual; that would be boring. I want to have someone there with me, hopefully a relay team if we do the distance medley relay or a 4 x 1,600, maybe we can break the record we set last year. That would be nice.”

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