The following is a spotlight on Trinity Smith, one of two 2023 University of Rhode Island nominees for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award. The Atlantic 10 institutions nominated a total of 17 outstanding student-athletes for the award (READ MORE). The A-10 will spotlight each of the institutional nominees.

Trinity Smith Profile

Trinity Smith is a NCAA postseason qualifier,

a two-time Atlantic 10 track champion

(and 100 meter hurdles record holder)

and a URI record-holder in the 60 meter

hurdles and the 100m hurdles. She earned

the URI Winifred B Keaney Award, which

recognizes the most outstanding

graduating female student-athlete.

Smith also won the Rhody Rammy

Award for the best individual

performance (2022-23) and

the Female Ram Spotlight

Award (2022). A team

captain, she was on the A-10

All-Rookie teams for both

indoor and outdoor track as a

freshman and is a 3-time A-10

weekly award winner.

Smith was named an Atlantic

10 Postgraduate Scholarship

honoree in 2023 and was

named to the A-10

Commissioner's Honor Roll

each year. She earned A-10

and USTFCCCA All-Academic

honors multiple times, and

was a 2023 Rhode Island House of Representatives Scholar Athlete. She has been on the URI Dean's List each semester since 2020 and is a 2023 inductee into The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS). She was also a member of the Onyx Society.

Smith's volunteer work includes serving on the URI Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), the A-10 Commission for Racial Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and MSAC, of which she was founder and president. She volunteered as a student-athlete orientation leader, a Women in Sports Clinic assistant and with charitable organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, Ronald McDonald house and local women's shelters. Smith also assisted with youth track and field meets and camps and she assisted and was a moderator for the in Developing the First Black Student-Athlete Summit in the Northeast.

Q & A

What was the hardest obstacle you faced as a student athlete?

The hardest obstacle I faced as a student athlete was competing after having Covid. After a great season opener in December 2021, I tested positive for Covid over winter break. This occurrence caused an emotional season ride, just because I was on track to having a great season and I was in great shape. Throughout this battle I encountered many physical and mental obstacles. Physically, I had to fight to regain the running quality I lost prior to having Covid. Mentally, I had to deal with performances that I knew I was way faster then. However, I fought to the end and ended my indoor season with a personal record and almost breaking the school record. I ended my outdoor season with qualifying to compete at the Preliminary Level NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships for the first time and a new school record in the 100m hurdles.

Who or what has been your biggest motivation?

For this question I have to say my family. It first began when I was younger; watching my older brother Jerell Smith play football for Bryant University. When I was little I used to think my brother was a star, I used to think he was famous. My brother was so well known at his school because of all his accomplishments on and off the field. At the games everyone would cheer for my brother and I used to feel so good that they were cheering for him. I was proud to be his little sister and I wanted everyone to know that. Seeing this bar set at a young age motivated me to be as great as my brother. As I got older, my mom and dad aided in my motivation as well. My parents came to every single high school track meet and recorded every single race. Trials and Finals. I guess you can say I motivated my parents too because my Dad never wanted his children to feel the absence of family in things they are interested in like he did. Being a prior athlete and now a coach, my Dad assisted in shaping the confidence I needed to have in myself when it came to competing and mental toughness required to be the best in Track and Field. My mom assisted me in blessing me with the spirituality needed to find the calm within the storm of adversity I would and have faced. I’ve gained motivation through my parents as well because I want them to see that all the time, effort, and love they placed into me was not wasted. All these experiences fueled the intrinsic motivation that set forth all the accomplishments I have achieved at the University of Rhode Island and more to come.

What hard goals have you set/accomplished?

Throughout my college career, I have set many goals and accomplished them. However, the hardest ones I have to say is leaving my mark at URI, becoming an A10 Champion, qualifying to compete at Prelims and competing at the NCAA Championship. Throughout my collegiate career I have completed ¾ of those goals. The only goal that I did not complete is competing at the NCAA Championship. Considering the fact that this is a very hard meet to qualify for I cannot beat myself up too much. Not qualifying to compete at this meet doesn’t take away from any of my accomplishments and it doesn’t take away from me as a person. I have managed to compete at two consecutive preliminary national collegiate outdoor track and field championships two years in the row. Each path that was taken to get to that destination was different but the goal remained the same. Outside of not being able to compete at the national championships I am a school record holder, 2x A-10 Champion, and I have left my mark at URI within athletics and outside of it.

What would you consider the top moment of your college career?

Finally being an A10 Champion in the 100mh and in the process, breaking the school record, and tying the meet/conference and facility record. Ending my last collegiate outdoor championship where it started. In 2019 I left with bronze and in 2023 I left with the Gold.

What is one thing you would go back and do differently If you could?

I honestly wouldn’t change a thing, everything happens for a reason and each lesson was a blessing regardless if I recognized it or not. What God had for me no one can take away from me. I just wish I had more time experiencing this small chapter of my life.

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

Winning the 4x400 with my teammates (my favorite 4x400 relay team ever) We had a point to prove and we made it happen.

What do you think is the most important issues for student athletes today?

One of the most important issues for student athletes is Mental Health. It encompasses a broad spectrum of challenges that student athletes face on and off the field of competition. College is already stressful for an average student, but to be a collegiate athlete you must find a balance between academics, practice, competition and your personal life. The competitive nature of an athlete causes them to strive for perfection and set high expectations for oneself. However, this is not always healthy. Secondly, many athletes struggle with an identity crisis, basing their self worth on their performance or results, without establishing their individuality outside of their sport. This is one of the areas where setting high expectations is not healthy. Chasing goals is the bulk of what athletes do, but due to the incredible investment of time, effort, and emotion, falling short comes with consequences. It is okay to set high expectations, but as an athlete you must learn how to deal with the result of not meeting your goal. Athletes may feel lost, disconnected, depressed, or anxious. That lostness also comes with the completion of eligibility. I’ve personally had friends tell me they went through a depression or a weird chapter of their life when they did not know what to do because they didn’t have the demand of being an athlete anymore. This is usually due to the majority of their lives being spent in competition rather than activities an average student would engage in. Lastly, many student athletes today play for or are represented by coaches or administrators that do not relate to them. Having an athletic department that understands all parts of a student athlete will aid in athlete success on and off the field of competition.