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Westhill High School senior Dillin Smith earned the title of the fastest man in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference at Tuesday's league championship meet and even he was surprised.
Smith won the 100 meters and came within a whisker of adding a gold medal in the 200. He finished second to Danbury's Dele Owoye. Winning the 100 was Smith's priority, however, and he outran Owoye and Greenwich's Tim Frazier to win in 11.085. Owoye was second in 11.09, and Frazier was third in 11.2.
"I came here as the fourth seed," Smith said. "I just ran my hardest." Smith had a lackluster season through the Irv Black Invitational late last month. In that meet, he ran 12.13 in the preliminary rounds and did not qualify for the finals. Among the sprinters to beat him that day was teammate Joel Carol, and it provided motivation for Smith.
"After that, I didn't think about how tired I was going to be after the race,'' Smith said. "I just put it out of my mind and refocused. I turned the switch on."
Smith is the first Westhill sprinter in recent memory to win the 100 title. Records are not available, but a fair guess is that it has been nearly 20 years since a Westhill runner earned the title as the FCIAC's Fastest Man.
Smith proved his recent surge was no fluke in the 200. He came charging off the turn and battled Owoye for the lead during the final 20 meters. The race was too close to call with the naked eye. It was a while before Owoye was declared the winner.
"I'm not disappointed,'' Smith said. "I came here to win the 100, and to win that for my coach and Westhill. I gave it everything I had."
Danbury's boys and girls ran away with the team title. It was the 11th straight boys crown for the boys, and the third straight for the girls.
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