Entering the competition well after most competitors had faultered at lower heights, Smith seemed to have no rust from the offseason as he sailed over the crossbar on his first attempt at 12 feet. Smith then proceeded to tie his own school record of 12'6" before setting it another six inches higher than any Central Bucks West athlete ever has been able to at a stunning 13 feet to win the competition of about 40 schools.
After graduating all four athletes on America's fastest 4x800 meter relay from last winter season, West demonstrated that it has reloaded. Eric Zoleski, Ben Smith, Nico Metzler, and Austin Kline pulled away from the competition with a Meet of Champions qualifying performance of 8:30.37 to earn a six and a half second victory over the field.
Returning two-time State Medalist sprinter Greg Branch also impressed, as he debuted with a 23.95 second 200 meter dash to place 3rd behind only Pennwood's Eric Futch and Downingtown's Zach Barr in a field of 30 athletes. The performance punches Branch's ticket to the Meet of Champions in February, with plenty of time to spare.
The Bucks return to action next Saturday at 8:30 AM at Lehigh University, where they hope to qualify more individuals and relays to the esteemed Meet of Champions.