LYNN — In the blink of an eye, or, rather, the sound of a starting pistol, cross country is back. St. Mary’s Coach Tristan Smith, in his fourth season at the helm and seventh in the program, says he can’t wait.
“I’m more excited than I thought. I’m not going to lie,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of stuff that I’m looking forward to this year.”
Rewinding things back a year, the fires at Lynn Woods halted the team, which was forced to start at Gallagher Park. Come Monday evening for St. Mary’s first practice, business returns as usual.
“[It’s] definitely nice to start at home,” Smith said.
Smith isn’t allowed to coach in the offseason, but has been in touch with student-athletes through their camps, as well as the Lynn Woods races.
“It’s definitely hands-off since we can’t coach in the summer. The nice thing about cross country is, you know, I can ask, ‘How did the run feel, how was your pace, how do you feel?’” Smith said. “I’m just seeing a lot of the work being put in now. And then, the fun part is now it gets to pay off in the fall, so that’s going to be really fulfilling to watch – and certainly for them, to perform.”
Perform, indeed. Despite losing a big senior class, Smith believes “this could be a big year for the boys” behind the three-headed monster of captains Kyle Kwiatek, Matt Terrien, and Matheus Menezes-Avendanha.
“We have a really strong, solid three seniors,” Smith said. “Those three, it’s their senior year, they’ve been putting in the work all summer and, frankly, all four years I’ve been their coach.”
He also expects big things from freshmen Xavier Paula and Will Potter, as well as seventh graders Cristian Rodriguez and Lucian Paula.
“If everyone gets one percent better, the whole team gets 100 percent better,” Smith said. “I think we’re going to keep that up.”
On the girls’ side, Smith says their leader is incoming freshman Kelsey Kwiatek.
“The girls are kind of where the boys were a few years ago, I think,” Smith said. “Our leader is Kelsey Kwiatek who’s a freshman. She’s been doing such damage as a middle-schooler. I’m so excited to see where we go from here.”
She’s followed by star runner Nina Lopes (8th).
“Nina is just a stellar runner,” Smith said.
Young stars are great, but it’s even better when they’re surrounded by great leaders. To name a few: captains Gabriella Marichal, Alessia Catino, and Sophia O’Brien.
“They’re lucky because they have leadership of these great upperclassmen that kind of round out the top seven on the girls team,” Smith said. “I think it’s really interesting.”
Boys or girls, Smith says “we ride one bus” and come together after every race.
“It’s independent, but it’s also great to build together as a team – from new shoes to new personal bests,” Smith said. “Both teams bloom in different ways.”
Smith hopes the Spartans “make some noise at the state level.” St. Mary’s will also be taking its Cape Cod trip, and participating in the Lynn All-City Meet.
“It’s definitely going to happen,” Smith said of the city meet. “We just need to find a date.”
From new classes to new students, it’s special that cross country arrives in the fall, according to Smith.
“Cross country, in particular, kind of has that camaraderie,” Smith said. “I’m definitely expecting that feel.”
