 Clark High School track standout Cleste Smoote signs to run for the UTSA Roadrunners. Photo by Pat Turner
Contributing Writer
Celeste Smoote wasn’t sure how she would like track when her parents and Clark coaches told her to give it a try during her sophomore year. Smoote tried it. Smoote liked it – and somewhere along the way discovered she was good at it. Now, the Clark senior has found a reason to appreciate track even more. Because of her success, Smoote will be carrying her skills to UTSA next fall. Smoote made it official by signing a scholarship with the Roadrunners before family members, friends, teammates and coaches this past week. “I never thought a day like this would happen,” Smoote said. “Even when I was applying to schools, I wasn’t expecting to get a chance to run track in college. But during the season I kept working at it and kept pushing myself to get better. “This is so exciting to be knowing I will be competing for a Division I school. I know I haven’t even reached my potential yet, but I know the coaches there will help me get better.” Smoote’s speed and versatility to compete in relays, the sprints and 400-meter dash make her the ideal athlete to compete at the Division I level. She has only seriously competed in the sport the past two years. “Celeste is an amazing athlete,” Clark coach Anne Ager said. “You don’t hear many kids running track and getting opportunities like this. And she has been doing it for a short period of time. The coaches at UTSA love her versatility. She has speed. She comes out of the blocks well and she takes good handoffs. She is going to keep getting better.”
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